Trouble Rides A Fast Horse
by Audrey2419
Summary: Tony's past as an Agent Afloat comes back to haunt him as he becomes entangled in a web of drug smuggling and espionage.
1. Realizations

I don't own NCIS or any of the characters in the series; if I did then Jenny Shepherd would still be alive, and Gibbs would treat Tony much nicer than he does. This is my first NCIS fic and is the result of me spending way too much time suffering from insomnia and watching reruns of NCIS. I keep wondering about Tony's time on the _Seahawk_ and what he did exactly when he was in Cartagena. It's amazing how the simplest assignments can really come back to haunt you when you least expect it. Enjoy...

* * *

Realizations

_**Cartagena, Colombia, 4 months prior**_**…**

Tony DiNozzo sat in the dimly lit interior of the Banana Moon Bar, a beer in front of him and a scowl on his handsome face. Hector, the owner of this particular establishment, had given Tony the best table in the bar since he liked the NCIS Agent. Even with a cold drink and the prospect of some alone-time, he wasn't a happy camper. Finally, after two months on the _USS Ronald Regan_ and another couple of weeks on the _USS_ _Seahawk_, he was on dry land. The prospect of being off the damn ship for a couple of weeks to do threat assessments of the area had made him almost giddy until he realized that there were strings attached, so instead of enjoying his evening, he was sitting in this bar…waiting. Waiting for who he wasn't exactly sure; when he received the message from DC, Vance hadn't exactly been forthcoming with the name of his contact. All of the secrecy had forced Tony to one conclusion. He was meeting a spook, spy, or agent…whatever the hell they called themselves these days. He ran an impatient hand through his short, spiky hair wondering just how much longer he was going to wait before he called it a night.

He felt rather than saw the woman glide up to his table. Although once he turned to watch her cross the room he imagined that she moved much like a cat would if one could walk on two legs. As she drew closer he could smell the heady scent of jasmine wafting through the humid tropical air. She obviously wasn't one to waste time as she gracefully slid into the chair across from him.

"Agent DiNozzo." It was a statement rather than a question. Her voice was husky, cultured.

Tony nodded and gave her his megawatt smile. Once she sat he was able to make out her features, and suddenly felt as if all of the oxygen in the room had been used up. She was exquisite, so, as she settled herself beside him, he memorized her features. Long, inky black hair framed a heart shaped face with high cheekbones and a cleft chin. He realized that he had been staring and, in an attempt to cover the awkwardness of the moment, asked, "And you are…"

She didn't answer his question immediately but simply gave him a sideways stare, watching him through hooded green eyes the color of emeralds.

"Call me Eve. I've been assigned to assist you with the threat assessments."

"Okay, Eve, if that is indeed your real name. What agency do you work for?" Tony was frustrated with this entire operation, and he decided that baiting his new acquaintance would be as amusing a pastime as anything else.

Eve gave him a smile, revealing very even, white teeth and replied, "It's as good as any. Does it really matter?" She reached into her small bag and pulled out a cigarette case. Extracting one, she put it to her lips. Tony picked up the matches sitting in the ashtray and with a style born from watching countless James Bond movies, struck the match and lit her cigarette. She took a drag and gave another amused smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I see that the stories about you weren't exaggerated." She shifted slightly in her chair and Tony noticed a hint of the tattoo on her shoulder blade. He couldn't tell what it was; only that part of it was visible under the thin black tank top she wore.

_Whoa…_ The thought slammed into his head, making him feel intoxicated. He had obviously been celibate for too long. He had just met this woman five minutes ago, and now the only thing he could think of was how to get her to his hotel room and into bed. His intense green gaze searched her eyes again and felt the electricity hum between them. She reached into her bag again and slid a card across the table to him.

"This is my contact number. Call me in the morning when you get up. We have a lot of work to do."

She stood and quickly disappeared in the crowd. Watching her walk away he wondered if maybe he had imagined the entire meeting until he looked at the card in his hands. The only other thought that crossed his mind was that he really wanted to see that damn tattoo.

It took him two more days before he finally saw it. In those two days she had taken him all over the city and into the countryside as she pointed out the different factions in the area. She had a serene confidence in her own abilities that had reminded him instantly of Ziva. That comparison became obvious when they had gotten into some trouble in one of the poorer sections of the city. Surrounded by hostiles, she hadn't panicked when guns had been drawn, if anything she had reveled in it. They had escaped with no shots being fired, but he realized that there was definitely more to her than he'd originally thought.

Once they arrived back at his hotel she had followed him up rather than simply dropping him off. They had faced each other, the tension in the air as thick as the humidity. Two hours after that, they were lying together in the tangled sheets trying to catch their breath. She had her back facing him, and he was able to admire the artwork covering part of the long lines of her back. It was a tiger stalking down her shoulder to the middle of her back in bold color. Tony found it incredibly sensual, so as they lay there together, the sweat drying from their bodies, he traced it with a feather light graze of his fingers. Tony couldn't describe the emotions he was feeling. It was something akin to peace, the first peace he had felt since the afternoon that Jenny had died. The Sandman beckoned, so he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace. Soon after, they fell asleep to the soft whirl of the ceiling fan.

It was the end of the first week before he finally figured out that she was a covert operative for the CIA monitoring the drugs and guns that flowed through the area like water and handling anyone the Agency deemed a threat. She never told him what she did, exactly, but dropped clues like breadcrumbs for him to follow. The day he finally figured it out, she had taken him with her on a stakeout of a potential target. Tony sat with her in a dive of a bar, their eyes concealed by sunglasses as they watched a lieutenant for the local cartel meet with someone who looked suspiciously like a Navy Officer. She had been taking photos surreptitiously with her cell phone so Tony could get an identification for the American sailor.

Sitting there watching the action unfold, he realized how jaded and cynical he was beginning to feel. Nothing seemed to shock him anymore. Tony removed his sunglasses, rubbed his eyes and said in a weary voice, "This is not good. If he's meeting the cartel I assume that he's been smuggling drugs into the states on navy ships."

Eve also took off her glasses and met his world-weary eyes with a steady gaze of her own. "This is the kind of Intel that can get you killed, Tony. You had better be careful to whom you hand it off to."

He gave a tight smile and replied, "I can't do much about it while I'm a captive on that damn boat, I'll send a priority message to the Director of NCIS. In the meantime, we need to try and not get killed while we figure this thing out."

She gave him a conspiratorial smirk and said, "You know what they say, don't you, Tony?"

"What's that?"

"Trouble rides a fast horse." She smiled as she repeated the Italian proverb to him.

"Well," he said, "I guess all we can do is try and stay a step ahead of the little bastard."

They had followed the cartel lieutenant from the bar, and Tony had seen firsthand how she "handled" potential security problems. The knife she kept sheathed in her boot was swift, silent and deadly as she sidled up to and then dispatched the criminal. He had never expected to tag along on this particular type of assignment but had been game when she had asked. As long as he'd been an agent and as many undercover operations as he'd taken part in, Tony had never been present when a sanctioned hit had taken place. He'd thought it might unnerve him or make him think less of Eve, but all it had done was increase her mystique. For her own part, Eve had been completely undisturbed by the act she had just committed. In fact, she had simply leaned over and snapped a picture of the body with her phone for verification before she quickly led him from the area to avoid suspicion.

The last night before he'd had to report back to the _Seahawk_ had been spent at the Banana Moon drinking tequila shots with beer chasers. They both knew that their interlude was ending, and in Eve's case, she knew that she would most likely never see Tony again. As they had each of the previous ten nights they finally ended up in his hotel room, their physical attraction for each other impossible to fight.

She drove him to the airfield to meet the Cod back to the ship. Once they arrived, Eve handed him a packet of pictures and again warned, "Don't give this to the wrong person, Tony. You'll get us both killed."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a last kiss. His lips pressed against hers warmly. He forced her to look up at him and said, "You know, you never told me your last name. We've spent a lot of time together both in and out of bed, don't you think I should know who I'm sleeping with?"

She gave a short laugh but refused to meet his intense gaze. Tony finally shook his head and turned as if to walk towards the plane waiting to take him back to the ship when he heard her reply,

"It's Dupree."

Although he looked for her whenever he was on shore, that was the last he saw of her for the rest of his cruise.

* * *

_**NCIS, Navy Ship Yard, Washington, DC, Present Time**_

Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was enjoying the quiet calm of the bullpen. He had his first cup of coffee and was enjoying it and his solitude. It was still early, and none of his team had made an appearance yet. The only movement was from Megan, the morning mail clerk. She walked up to Gibbs' desk and offered him a stack of mail. Before he could even turn his gaze to any of it, the elevator signaled its arrival. Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David, and Tim McGee all walked in together. Gibbs glanced at his team as they each made their way to their respective desks. Watching intently as they settled themselves, Gibbs stalked over to McGee's desk and dropped the pile of mail on it. He turned to walk away when his computer specialist's voice stopped him.

"Uh, Boss… I think you need to look at this…" His voice trailed off as Gibbs did a 180 and snatched the envelope from his hands.

"What is so important, McGee?" Gibbs' steely, blue eyes scanned the mailing address on the envelope for a second before he yelled, "DiNozzo!"

Tony, who had just settled into his chair and had begun to read through his e-mails, jerked his head up and replied, "Yeah, Boss!?"

"Why are you getting mail from Cartagena, Colombia?" Gibbs held out the offending envelope.

Tony reached out his hand and plucked the envelope from Gibbs' fingers. He looked at the flowing, feminine script and the return address and inhaled suddenly.

"Eve." His voice was nearly a whisper as he stared at the envelope in his hand.

Ziva had been watching the proceedings with undisguised interest, but as soon as she heard Tony mention a woman's name, she walked over to his desk to steal a glance at the envelope. No sooner than she made her first attempt, he pulled the envelope away and shook his head. "No, Zee-vah, this is for my eyes only."

Grinning to himself at his Bond reference, Tony opened the envelope carefully and pulled out the folded sheet of paper. Feeling Gibbs' presence behind him, he picked up the thin sheet of stationary. If her handwriting hadn't already been a dead giveaway, the familiar scent of her jasmine perfume wafted from the paper. Unfolding the paper, Tony leaned back in his chair to read.

_ Tony,_

_ I hope you're doing well. After you returned to the ship my engagement ended, and I'm trying to return home as I mail this. I'll see you as soon as I get to D.C._

_ Love,_

_ Eve_

Tony almost dropped the paper in shock, but years of working undercover allowed him to school his emotions and features to give nothing away. He gave a smug smile to cover his feelings of unease.

Gibbs, reading the letter over his Senior Field Agent's shoulder, frowned. He had only been on the _Seahawk_ for a couple of months. How exactly had he had enough time to meet someone and "help" her end her engagement? Finally, he gave a slightly disgusted growl of, "Back to work people." He paused and turned a beady stare to his Senior Field Agent. "DiNozzo, l hope you didn't do something really stupid by getting mixed up with the wrong girl."

Tony gave Gibbs his best wide-eyed "who me" face and turned his attention to the letter again. He stared at the page; his mind was filled with images of the two weeks he has spent in Cartagena with her. Who was Gibbs kidding? He was in neck deep and if there ever was a wrong girl… What the hell was going on, though? From her note he could only ascertain that Eve was apparently in trouble and heading to Washington to see him. This was not good in too many ways for him to even begin to calculate. Finally, he grabbed the letter and placed it in his jacket pocket, mumbled a hurried, "Going to get coffee." to the room at large and made a quick exit with his cell phone in hand.

Ziva, who knew her partner about as well as anyone with the exception of Gibbs, felt uneasy at both the letter and Tony's reaction to it. It had seemed off to her so she turned to both Gibbs and McGee and stated, "Tony did not seem to be himself, yes?"

Gibbs, staring intently in the direction his Senior Field Agent had just traveled, seemed to ignore the question from Ziva, but privately he agreed. He had worked with DiNozzo for over seven years, and he had never known him to intentionally involve himself with someone who was engaged or married. There was something hinky about the whole affair that he just couldn't put his finger on and he felt a gnawing in his gut that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

Eve smirked to herself and ran her hands through her long, dark hair. She felt a bit like celebrating. Not only had she finally gotten out of Colombia alive, but if her calculations were correct then Tony should have received the letter she had sent him. She glanced down at the cell phone clipped to her belt. It was crazy to have brought it, but it was the only phone that Tony had the contact number for. It was an agency phone, and she would have to discard it sooner rather than later. She only hoped he would get the message from her letter and call, but if not, well then she had a contingency plan. Giving herself a mental pat on the back she limped slowly from the airport and caught a passing cab. She had errands to run, and time was of the essence.

* * *

Since Tony knew the questions were going to start as soon as he opened the letter he had felt it prudent to leave the office while he ruminated on the potential consequences it was going to bring. He knew that getting mixed up with Eve again was going to royally screw up his life, and there was no way to avoid lying to most of his co-workers. Lying to Gibbs though, that was going to be the hardest thing to do and he really wanted to avoid it if it were at all possible. It had been four months since he had last seen her at the airfield. The two weeks they had spent together had been exciting, and he had missed her once he transferred back to Washington. She had known how to live in a way that made him a bit jealous; their two week affair was stored in his mind as the only positive part of his whole Agent Afloat experience. He sat in the small coffee shop and reached for his wallet. In the back he still had the card she had given him the first night they met. Taking a sip from his cup he dialed her number and prayed she would answer.

Eve's phone rang shrilly as she sat in the cab heading away from the airport. Grabbing it from her belt, she glanced at the caller ID and felt nothing short of relief when she recognized Tony's number. Flipping it open she answered with a brief, "Yes."

Tony almost dropped the phone when he heard her answer. He closed his eyes, thankful at hearing her voice on the other end of the line, and asked in a terse tone, "Just where exactly are you, and will you please tell me what the hell is going on?"


	2. Doubts

I don't own NCIS. The good people at CBS have that privilege. If I owned them then Jenny Shepherd would still be alive, and Gibbs would be much nicer to Tony. Thanks so much for all of the kind words. I hope you enjoy the next chapter in this journey...

* * *

Doubts

"Tony, it's good to hear from you, too." Eve replied, her tone sardonic. She continued her voice a bit more urgent, "I won't say anything else until I see you. Where are you so we can meet?"

His frustration was beginning to show when he replied, "I'm at a coffee shop near my office. I'll wait for you here, and then you can tell me exactly what the hell is going on!"

Tony gave her the address and leaned back in his chair to wait, his eyes scanning the room, all the while praying that Gibbs didn't decide to come looking for him. The ten minutes that he sat there waiting was the longest of his life. He was getting a refill from a passing waitress when he smelled her perfume linger in the air. He smiled as she carefully slid into the chair next to him. He reached out to brush a lock of her long, dark hair away from her face, and his green eyes searched hers for some clue as to what was so serious that it would bring her all the way to DC and back into his life.

She wasted no time getting right to the point, her manner serious. "Tony, who did you give the packet to?"

He frowned in thought and finally replied, "I passed it up the chain of command. Why?"

Eve gave Tony a fierce glare as she answered, "Whoever you gave it to has passed it to someone who is involved in this. We've been green lit." She paused and stole a sip from his coffee cup then continued, "They've tried five times in the last six weeks to take me out. At first, I just figured the cartels had decided I had caused enough trouble, but once I realized it was because of those damn pictures I knew they'd come for you next. It took a lot of moving around and I had to burn two of my aliases, but I got out of the country. I didn't think I'd make it out of the airport in Bogotá; I was ambushed by two operatives that I think were CIA. I took their identification after our 'difference of opinion'. Do you have anyone who can run these without Langley knowing about it?"

Tony felt his stomach clinch with something he couldn't or, more accurately, didn't want to identify. Who in the hell could he involve in this? Abby and McGee were the only two people that he knew would be able to hack the CIA's database without getting caught, and they were at NCIS. He realized that if Eve suspected one of her own as well as someone high up in the Navy of being involved then there was no way she would go anywhere near the Navy Yard.

He knew that he was going to have to lie to everyone in his life to pull this off. Normally, Tony would feel conflicted about it, but after the misdirection and outright lies that had come his way while trying to ferret out the mole at NCIS, he felt that whatever he said or did would not even come close to the way that he had been used during that entire fiasco.

Although Tony was lost in his thoughts, he wasn't so far gone that he didn't notice when she suddenly swayed slightly in her chair. He noticed a spreading red stain on her lower right side. "Are you injured?" He asked her, his tone low, intimate.

She nodded, her eyes closed. "When I said I didn't think I'd make it out of Bogotá alive, I wasn't kidding. I got cut; I'm sure it needs to be cleaned and sutured, but hospitals tend to ask questions about stab wounds."

"Okay, the first thing we've got to do is to get you checked out. I know you won't go to the hospital, but will you let Ducky take a look at your side?"

"Who is Ducky, and why would I let him do anything to me? I'm not in a very trusting frame of mind, Tony."

He grabbed her hand and asked quietly, "Do you trust _me_?"

Eve nodded her head in assent and murmured, "Yes, you know I do."

"Then trust that I know my friends. Let me help you."

She took a deep, cleansing breath and nodded her head again. He helped her up from her chair and draped his heavy coat over her shoulders. They walked out into the cold winter morning. Tony took in the thin t-shirt and leather jacket she wore and said in a teasing tone,

"Didn't you pack for the season?"

Eve rolled her eyes in exasperation and replied, "Tony, I've been living in the tropics for the past five years. Why would I even own a coat?"

He placed his hand on her back in a comforting way and chuckled softly as they slowly walked back towards NCIS.

* * *

The morgue was silent, and for once there was no one on his table. Ducky was using the down time to get himself caught up on his backlog of paperwork. He was leaning over his latest autopsy report, his pen gently scratching the paper as he added his signature. He heard the doors to his domain open with a _whoosh_ and turned to greet his visitor. Expecting to see Gibbs or even Abby enter, he was surprised to see Tony slip in with a women he didn't recognize.

"Anthony, my boy, what can I do for you this morning, and who is your charming companion?"

"Ducky, this is Eve. Eve, meet Dr. Donald Mallard. Ducky, she's injured. Can you take a look at her side please?"

Ducky watched the woman; she gave Tony an uncertain look, as if she were contemplating leaving before she finally seemed to give in to his desire for her to stay. She nodded at Ducky and finally said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mallard."

"No, my dear, call me Ducky. All of my colleagues do. Now why don't you let me take a look at your injury? Anthony..." Ducky's voice trailed off as he turned back around and saw Eve standing there; her shirt was pulled up slightly, and he could see the bloody gauze covering her right side. "Oh my dear, what has happened to you? Why didn't you take yourself to the hospital?"

Tony was quick to step in. His voice was low, urgent when he stated, "No hospitals, Ducky. No questions. This is serious."

Ducky turned his perceptive gaze towards Tony, something big was going on of that he was certain. He nodded acquiesce and said to Eve, "Why don't you sit on this table and let me have look at you.

She slowly, painfully, started to lift her shirt to remove it when he caught sight of the weapons belt she was wearing. She had a gun holstered in the small of her back with a knife on either side. She unbuckled the belt holding her gear and handed it to Tony, who seemed nonplussed by the entire situation, then climbed onto the ice cold autopsy table. "Well damn", Eve said in mocking tone, "I never thought I'd actually be alive in an autopsy room, and I thought I'd done everything. Tony, would you please get my cigarettes out of my bag; I have a feeling that I may need one after this is over with."

Ducky began to probe the wound carefully to make sure that it had no debris in it before suturing it back together. It was obviously a knife wound and a nasty one at that. It was about six inches long; rather than being deep, the skin appeared to have been almost filleted. As he slowly and methodically worked on her injury, he found himself studying the interaction between her and Anthony, and, Ducky decided, whoever this woman was, he was decidedly protective as he hovered beside her. Ducky had reached the point of actually suturing the wound, and knew that without some sort of anesthetic the pain would be unbearable so he said, "I want to put a local anesthetic in before I suture. Eve, will you have a problem with that?" After observing his patient, he decided that asking before doing would be the best way to handle her.

She nodded and said in a ragged tone, pain evident as she spoke, "That's fine; I appreciate your asking first. Most doctors wouldn't."

Ducky carefully injected the medication and slowly began to suture her side back together. He finished and placed a gauze bandage over the wound. He searched the room, looking for Tony and found that he was digging in her small backpack looking for a clean shirt. After a few minutes of careful digging, looking as though he thought something in the bag might bite, Tony came up with an Ohio State t-shirt that looked suspiciously familiar.

"I can't believe you kept this shirt." He said with a smirk as he held it out to her.

She tried to smile, but it looked more like a pain filled grimace, when she replied, "Well, you gave it to me to wear the day I dropped you off at the cod, and I wanted something to remember you by. We did have a great two weeks." She held out her hand and said, "Please hand me my gear." Eve took the belt from Tony and gave it an affectionate caress. Unlike many people she had known, it had never let her down and had actually been responsible for keeping her alive more times than she could remember. She carefully put the belt back on then gingerly raised her arms high to drop the shirt over her head. It was much too large for her small frame, so she ended up tying a knot at her waist so it wouldn't hang to her knees. She shrugged her leather jacket back on and turned to the M.E. who was standing there watching. "Thank you, Ducky. I hope one day I can repay you for your kindness to me."

He nodded his head regally and replied, "You're most welcome, my dear. I don't know what's going on between you and Anthony, but please take care of each other. Anthony, does Jethro know about whatever it is that you're up to?" Ducky groaned aloud when Tony simply gave a sheepish shake of his head, and he stared at Tony in exasperation, "You know how he gets when he doesn't know everything. What am I to tell him?"

Tony flashed a smile to Ducky and said "Duck, I've got to figure out exactly what's going on before I can tell him anything." He looked almost lost for a second and then said, "Just… just tell him that I'll call when I can."

Ducky watched warily as Eve nodded to him once more and silently trailed Tony out of the room.

* * *

Abby was walking into the building entrance and ran right into Tony and Eve as they were attempting to slip out undetected. She knew that he had seen her, and she wasn't going to let him walk right by her without speaking. "Morning, Tony. Where are you heading off to, and who is your friend?" She spoke rapidly, pausing only to breathe and take a large slurp out of her first Caf-Pow of the day.

Tony waited for her to take a breath so he could interrupt her. "Abby, I have an appointment this morning. I'll come by and see you when I get back."

Abby gave Tony a penetrating stare, knowing that he was lying to her, but unsure about what to do. She glanced at his companion, and almost froze when she looked in her eyes. Abby, who had been around the block a time or two and knew some strange characters, had seen more emotion in the eyes of serial killers than she was seeing in this woman who was standing right next to _her_ Tony. It scared her, and her first impulse whenever she was scared was to run to Gibbs. Abby realized that Tony was waiting for a response, so she gave a nervous smile and said, "Okay Tony. I'll see you later on."

She waited until they were out of her sight before rushing towards the elevator. She pushed the button that would take her to the bullpen and hurried through the doors as soon as the opened. She rushed headlong into Ducky who was standing right at the entrance. He caught her and smiled bemusedly down at her head.

"Ducky! I just saw Tony and some woman, and he's behaving really weird. I need to tell Gibbs before something happens. I have a really, really bad feeling about her."

Ducky placed his arm around Abby's shoulders in an effort to comfort her as they continued the ride upstairs. "I know Abigail. There is definitely something strange going on with Anthony. I was just on my way to talk to Jethro about it. Why don't we go together? He's definitely _not_ going to like what we have to tell him."

Gibbs had been staring at Tony's empty desk for the last hour, his frustration growing with each moment his Senior Field Agent didn't walk back into the bullpen. He finally exploded with, "Just how the hell long does it take DiNozzo to go and get coffee?"

Ziva and McGee looked at Gibbs and then at each other. Neither envied Tony what he was going to encounter when he finally decided to make another appearance. The elevator dinged and all three looked at it in expectation and finally disappointment when Abby and Ducky exited.

Abby and Ducky, both brimming with news, looked at all three faces, two containing apprehension and one barely controlled rage and said in unison, "We have something we have to tell you about Tony…"

* * *

Eve followed Tony up the walkway towards his apartment. This was not the smartest thing she had ever done, but he had convinced her that he needed to grab a few items before they took off. If there were assassins after him now, then his apartment would be an ideal spot to ambush him. As they walked towards his door they realized that the hallway was silent, too silent for either of their liking. They crept up to his door and realized it was unlocked and ajar. Eve reached under her jacket and liberated one of her knives at the same time as Tony pulled his side arm. They stood on either side of the door and gently pushed it open.

A bullet slammed into the wall opposite the door with a deceptively soft _thap! _Tony fired two shots into the room and heard a voice groan and a body hit the floor. He entered the room, hugging the wall, with Eve on his six. A movement in her peripheral vision had her turning towards the kitchen, throwing her knife as she made the movement. It slammed into the gunman's throat and embedded itself into the cabinet behind the intruder who was gurgling his last breath and who was now attached to the cabinet as well. Tony slipped down the hall towards his bedroom and two more shots rang out in rapid succession. Eve caught up with the last intruder as she attempted to sneak in behind him. She pulled her favorite knife from her boot and made short work of the last assassin by grabbing her from behind and forcefully stabbing the blade into the carotid artery. Blood spurted like a fountain covering the walls in crimson.

Tony turned just in time to see the blood spray cover his walls and carpet and to see Eve drop the woman where she had stood.

"Thanks," he said, breathless.

"Anytime," she replied. Her breathing equally as ragged. "Grab your stuff. I estimate we have about five minutes before we're overrun with Metro cops and your co-workers."

Tony grabbed a half-packed bag from his closet and threw a few extra items in it, including his passport and all of the cash he had on hand. He turned to the door and looked at Eve, noticing for the first time that her clothes were covered in blood. He reached in the dresser and pulled out a lone pair of woman's jeans left by a former girlfriend. Next, he grabbed a sweater from another drawer and threw both items at her. "Change quickly and let's get the hell out of here before Gibbs shows up!"

Eve ripped off her jeans and the Ohio State t-shirt she wore then threw both items to the floor. Quickly she pulled on the jeans which were a little loose and then his sweater, which was much too large for her small frame. She pulled her jacket back on and retrieved her knife from the kitchen on the way out the door. She left the dead assassin lying in a heap on the floor like a broken doll. Tony paused long enough to leave his badge, gun and the envelope with the papers from the Bogotá assassins on the kitchen counter where Gibbs would have no problem finding them. On their way out of the door Eve reached into her bag and pulled out another gun and handed it to Tony. "I believe you favor a Sig. Take this one, it's the same model as yours and it's clean."

Tony checked the clip to make sure it was loaded, then he chambered a round and put it in his holster. He took one final look at his apartment. Even though it was full of death it was still the closest thing to home he'd ever had. He locked the door then followed Eve away, away from his past and towards some unknown future.

* * *

Gibbs was alternating between shock and anger as he listened to first Ducky and then Abby describe their meetings with DiNozzo and his companion. It was compounded by watching the video taken from autopsy. Gibbs felt his temper continue to rise as he watched Tony hover over this stranger as Ducky treated her injuries. He was distracted by Ziva's sudden intake of breath as the video showed a clear view of her face.

"I know who she is, Gibbs. I have seen her before."

Before Gibbs could formulate any sort of reply his cell phone rang. He listened for a second and snapped it closed with more force than necessary. "Gear up! Dispatch just got a call from Metro PD. There was a report of shots fired at DiNozzo's address."


	3. Secrets and Lies

I don't own NCIS, the lucky stiffs at CBS do. I wish I did; I could spend time with Gibbs and the gang on a regular basis. I want to thank all of you who have read, reviewed and/or put the story on alert. I read and really appreciate all of your feedback. And now, onward with our journey…

* * *

Secrets and Lies

There was blood everywhere. That was her first impression as she walked through Tony's living room, camera in hand. Ziva had been around blood and violence her entire adult life, but somehow the metallic smell that filled every room and was seeping into the very pores of her skin was the one thing that she had never been able to completely get used to. In a sense it was comforting to know that, even as she had killed many times more than she wanted to count, she could still be shocked by the violence she found as she swept through the apartment taking pictures of the crime scene.

She found McGee standing in the doorway into what had to be Tony's bedroom, his eyes wide as he sketched and measured the room. Blood covered the walls and had soaked into the carpet making it squish beneath their boots. There was one body lying by the closet with two gunshot wounds to the chest and the other body was just inside the room and had a gaping wound in the neck. Ziva picked up one of the guns, a 22 caliber with a silencer attached.

"This was a professional hit." She said it in a matter of fact tone as she placed the weapon in an evidence bag. "I would, how do you say it, stake my reputation on it."

Ducky slowly entered the kitchen and leaned over the second body. "My God, Tony!" He murmured to himself as he took the body temperature and made a cursory examination of the corpse. This scene was like one of the horror movies that Tony was so fond of. Four bodies, two killed by gunshot wounds to the chest and the other two by sharp-force trauma. He sighed, deeply distressed by the entire situation, and called for Palmer to bring a body bag and another gurney when his attention was captured by the items on the counter. "Jethro, come here and look at this!"

"What is it, Ducky? I've kind of got my hands full with all of the dead bodies and a missing agent." Gibbs was scared all the way to his bones. He hadn't seen a scene like this since the serial killer case that had originally brought him and DiNozzo together. The only thing that he took solace from was the fact that neither Tony nor his companion was amongst the dead bodies littering the house like trash.

There was absolutely no way to get around it though, Tony was out there somewhere with a stranger watching his six. Gibbs was a seasoned agent, and he had seen things that would sicken the average citizen. Despite his hardened exterior, he knew that the scene in this apartment was going to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. In spite of what most people thought, Gibbs did actually think of Tony as the son he'd never had. The thought that kept torturing Gibbs was what would have happened if he had been alone when he came home this morning? The answer was obvious. Tony would be in one of those body bags awaiting the trip to Ducky's autopsy table. This had to be a botched hit. Nothing else made sense. This was a professional crew using silenced 22 caliber semi-automatics.

Ducky interrupted his reverie and said, "I found this lying here." Ducky pointed to the three items spread out on the counter. "If I'm not mistaken those belong to Anthony."

Gibbs picked up Tony's badge and I.D. and shook his head. "Ah, DiNozzo." His breath hissed out between clinched teeth. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"

* * *

"Well, it's not the Hilton, but we can rest at least." Tony said in a slightly sarcastic tone as he lounged on the double bed that took up the majority of the dingy room. They had left his apartment, and she had led him to this place somewhere deep in "the hood". The entire time they had strolled down the sidewalk, Tony could feel the eyes on him even as his ears were filled with a mixture of salsa and rap music. Eve hadn't been perturbed at all by the whistles and comments from the kids they encountered on the sidewalk. The neighborhood reminded Tony of a war zone with the obvious poverty and the graffiti on every building, so when she had stopped at this motel he had been very surprised. But, in retrospect, he decided that if they wanted to hide it was the best alternative available. No one he worked with would ever guess that he was hiding out in some third world hostel. He stared at the décor covering the thin walls. This was a flophouse, and he wouldn't have been shocked if the rooms rented by the hour. He gave a deep sigh and leaned his head back on the thin pillows. His eyes were gritty, and his head was aching; exhaustion was pulling on him like a lead weight. How was it possible for someone to be so damn tired in the middle of the day?

He listened with half an ear as Eve made several calls on one of the disposable cell phones she had purchased before they'd checked in to this _palace_. She was speaking rapid-fire French to someone on the other end. Tony chucked to himself as he listened to her end of the conversation, not that he'd understood anything after the first call which had been in Spanish. She had already made three calls, including the current one, and hadn't spoken English yet. She finally finished her conversation and snapped the phone shut with a sigh.

"How many different languages do you speak?" Tony asked, curious at the training she had received.

She cocked her head to the side, considering his question then replied, "Including English? Hmmm, I speak six fluently, English, Spanish, French, Creole, Dari and Pashto. I know a little Portuguese, and I can swear in Italian. Why?"

"I'm just curious. We're going to be spending so much quality time together, so I thought I should get to know you better. How long did it take you to learn all that?"

She was amused and, if she were to be honest with herself, a touch flattered by his interest, so she gave him genuine smile and replied, "Well, I grew up speaking Spanish and French, so, I learned the others after I was recruited by The Agency. They trained me for three years before I became an active field agent. I was trained specifically to work drugs and guns. Since Afghanistan has such a thriving poppy trade one of my instructors made sure that I picked up Dari and Pashto. I learned Creole after I was given my first assignment.

Eve was standing by the window watching him as he lay on the bed. She had enjoyed spending time with Tony in Colombia. He was easily the most pleasant assignment she'd had in several years. As complicated as he appeared to most people, he was actually an easy read. She had been well informed on him before they had met that night, and she had quickly figured out that he craved the approval and respect of others. Tony needed attention and Eve was skilled at giving men exactly what they wanted, if it suited her purpose. The only snag in her plan was that, after spending time with him, she had grown to care for him as a friend, a friend with benefits to be sure, but a friend nonetheless.

His eyelids were becoming heavier, and Eve could see the fatigue catching up to him as he listened to her. She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek.

"You're a good man, Tony DiNozzo, and I appreciate you helping me figure this mess out. We're going to be incredibly busy, so you should rest if you can. I just spoke to a friend of mine. He and his wife are retired um… 'Money Managers'. I helped them out a couple of years ago, and they're going to loan us their jet. We're taking a trip later tonight." She stood and walked away from the bed, pulling clothes off as she moved towards the small bathroom. A couple of minutes later he heard the water start to run.

Tony decided to take her up on the offer of some rest and changed into sweats and a t-shirt before he finally fell into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

Two hours after finishing up at the crime scene Gibbs still didn't have an answer to his question. He had no idea what DiNozzo had stumbled upon, and there had been no contact with his AWOL agent. As soon as they had returned to headquarters everyone had scurried off to try and figure what the hell was going on. Ziva was currently on the phone with any and all of her contacts that might be able to help, Abby was running the ballistics on all of the firearms found at the scene, Ducky and Palmer were slowly working their way through each of the four autopsies, and finally McGee was attempting to run his facial recognition program on the identifications that Tony had obviously had left for them.

With the others occupied, Gibbs found himself sitting at DiNozzo's desk going through his files from his time as an Agent Afloat. The only logical connection between a Colombian hit squad and his Senior Field Agent was the two weeks Tony had spent in Cartagena doing threat assessments. Gibbs had come to the conclusion that this Eve person had been involved somehow in that process. It was for that reason that he had decided to read through Tony's personal notes to see what he could find. He started searching, finding very little of interest before he hit pay dirt thirty minutes after he started looking. It was in the very back of Tony's file cabinet, almost forgotten; Gibbs found a notebook that was separate from the rest and that described in great detail, the events that took place during the two week assignment. Gibbs didn't like invading DiNozzo's privacy but felt he had no choice if he wanted answers. Tony had given a detailed account of everything else that had happened while on the ship, but other than his daily reports, he had never spoken of this, the first assignment he'd had while on the _Seahawk_.

As he settled back to read, Ziva was finishing her phone calls. The first one to Mossad had answered all of her questions, but in her concern for Tony she had called several other contacts in South America to try and gain a fuller understanding of the situation in Colombia. She walked over to where Gibbs sat and said, "I have news. Perhaps we should go down to Abby's lab so we can all discuss this together."

He nodded and taking the notebook with him, strode from the room. He called Ducky and Palmer to meet in the lab. A few short minutes later the entire team was crowded into the small room. Gibbs pointed to Ziva and said, "Okay, it's show and tell time. Go…"

Ziva nodded and began, "When I saw the video from autopsy I realized that I have seen that woman somewhere. About five years ago, before I came to NCIS, I was in Colombia following a terrorist who was trading guns and drugs with a local cartel. Our local CIA contact was this woman," Ziva pointed to the image on the plasma which was an Agency photo of a young, smiling Eve, "Her name is Eve Dupree. The Intel she provided allowed us to capture the target before he could broker any deals." Ziva paused for a moment and looked around the room before continuing, "I do not know how much you know about working in intelligence, but generally we are trained with a specialty. I have been trained with special interrogation techniques; another may be trained in investigation, and so forth."

Ducky caught and held Gibbs' gaze, as he asked, "Ziva, do you know what hers is?"

Ziva took a deep breath, her concern was palpable as she replied, "Ducky, I wish that I did not know, but it is assassination. Her weapons of choice, as you may have already guessed, are knives. According to Mossad, as of two months ago she was still in Cartagena. It is my guess that she met Tony whist he was on the _Seahawk_." As she was telling the story, Ziva had been slowly flashing pictures of Eve and some of her targets on the plasma screen. She finally stopped on a surveillance photo of Tony sitting with her in the Banana Moon. They were laughing at something and looked to be very comfortable with each other.

Abby looked very distressed by this statement and turned to Gibbs, "It's my turn now. Okay, all of the rounds that Ducky gave me from the bodies were fired from Tony's weapon, which he thoughtfully left for us." She paused and took a big gulp of the Caf-Pow in front of her before continuing, "The four weapons recovered with the bodies are going to be difficult. All of the serial numbers have been filed off and it's going to take some work to recover them." She caught the glare that Gibbs was shooting her and concluded with, "But I'm working on it."

McGee looked up from his computer screen and decided to jump in, "Boss, I found out that these two were ex-CIA and had been working as mercenaries for hire. According to Interpol they were found dead yesterday at the airport in Bogotá. The cause of death in both cases was sharp force trauma to the neck and chest. Interpol has no leads, and thinks it was a business deal gone wrong."

Gibbs turned and looked at his team. "Okay, I think we're getting a picture. Apparently DiNozzo met Eve Dupree in Cartagena and they worked together. She's come to DC, contacted Tony, and for some reason hit squads are after the both of them. I found a notebook detailing Tony's assignment in Cartagena. In it he describes going with Eve on a sanctioned hit on the son of the leader of the local cartel. I think that is the link we've been looking for."

The entire team looked stunned for a second. Tony had never said a word about anything he did while on assignment in Cartagena; he had just been anxious to be off the ship and back in DC. Now they all had to wonder just what else he had hidden from them.

* * *

Awareness slowly entered the recesses of Tony's sleep drugged mind. He lay there for a minute, Eve's long hair spread over his chest as she cuddled next to him on the bed. Her even breathing told him that she was still sleeping. He shifted slightly and glanced at his watch. He was startled to find that it was late afternoon. He knew that he needed to contact Gibbs, but needed to see what the plan was before he made the call.

Eve stirred next to him. She sat up and groaned slightly. "I need coffee." She arched her back and stretched her arms high above her head. "You need to make a call before we take off from here. We're heading to the airport, but before we leave here, I want you to call your team. They'll trace the call, and we're going to leave them the pictures from our fact finding mission in Cartagena."

Tony nodded his head in agreement but grabbed her and pulled her back down next to him. "Gibbs can wait for a few minutes. I've missed you." He gave her an intense stare even as he slowly began to slide her t-shirt up.

She twined her arms around his neck and gave a husky laugh as she whispered in his ear, "The feeling's mutual."

* * *

The lab was still crowded; no one wanted to be the first to leave. Gibbs was silent, watching as Abby worked on the guns. His phone began to ring shrilly. He snatched it up and answered, "Gibbs."

"Hey Boss. Sorry I haven't called before now."

"DiNozzo! Where the hell are you?" In the background Gibbs heard McGee typing furiously on his keyboard as he began the phone trace.

"Sorry Boss, I can't tell you that. I gather you found the stuff I left at my apartment. Did you find out anything interesting from it?"

"No DiNozzo, it doesn't work that way. You tell me something and maybe, just maybe I'll tell you something."

Gibbs heard Tony sigh on the other end of the line before he replied. "This is happening because of my assignment in Colombia. Eve and I saw something we shouldn't."

"Don't you mean 'did something you shouldn't'? Since when do you take part when the CIA hits someone?"

"Ah, Boss, well… it seemed like a good idea at the time. Seriously though, when you see the pictures, you'll understand. Did you find out anything about the guys who tried to kill Eve in Bogotá?

Gibbs ground his teeth and counted to ten before replying, "Yes, they're ex-CIA who worked as freelance mercs."

Thanks Boss, I'll call again when we get back."

"Back from where? DiNozzo?"

The line went dead, and Gibbs turned to McGee. "Tell me you got a location for DiNozzo."

McGee gave a nod and Gibbs turned to the rest of the team, "Gear up! Let's go find them!"

* * *

After ending the call Tony turned to Eve. "McGee will have traced that. We better go. Where are we headed, anyway?"

She gave a sly smile and said, "Miami. So tell me Tony, how do you feel about Armani?"

He did a double take before sputtering, "Armani? I love it, but it's a bit out of my price range."

"Leave that part to me. Let's go catch our plane." She closed the door behind them just as Tony hailed a passing cab. They locked eyes and just smiled as the cab sped towards Dulles.


	4. Truths

I don't own NCIS or any of the characters from the show. I wish I did then I'd have a lot more money than I do now. I would also make Gibbs treat Tony much nicer than he does, and I wouldn't have let them kill off Jenny Shepherd. I have really been suffering from the insomnia, so you get the next chapter in our journey. Please enjoy...

* * *

Truths

The trip to the airport had been uneventful, and the walk across the tarmac even less so, but Tony still felt the jangle of nerves in his stomach as they taxied down the runway towards take-off. Finally, the jet left the runway, heading off into the rapidly fading daylight. Tony settled back into the luxurious seat and unbuckled his seat belt. "I could definitely get used to this. What kind of favor did you do that gets us the use of this jet?"

Eve chuckled, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Actually, the owners gave me some solid Intel about their boss. They wanted out of the game, but couldn't get away short of dying. I helped them get out by 'retiring' their employer. Henri and Jeannie are grateful, and they can afford to help." She walked over to the bar and pulled out a bottle of tequila and two glasses. She sat back down and poured two shots, handing one to Tony. "Relax, we've got about 2 ½ hours to kill on this flight. "

He threw back the shot and gasped as the liquor burned its way down his throat to his stomach. "Okay," he coughed, clearing his throat then asked, "Tell me why we're going to Miami."

Eve, blinking through the tears the alcohol had brought to her eyes, finally said, "We're going to see another friend of mine. He specializes in transpo for half the smugglers in Miami. Tony, I don't think that the drugs are coming on Navy Destroyers; it's too obvious."

Tony nodded thoughtfully and replied, "You're right. I've been thinking about it since that day, and I don't think they're coming in that way either. It would leave the shipments too vulnerable for anyone to find. How do you think they're moving it?"

"I think that someone is using their Navy connection to find out when they can move their shipments, maybe using Go-Fast Boats or planes, I'm not sure which. This is where you can help me. I know you worked narco in Baltimore, and I also have it on good authority that you're the best undercover agent at NCIS, so we're going undercover to find out who the Navy contact is. Your team has the pictures by now, they can work on that angle, but we need to catch this guy in the act. Once we have him, we can give him to your people and mine. After that, well, I'm going to retire his boss permanently. Hopefully it will get us out of this mess we're in.

He nodded in agreement of the plan then got to the thing that had been on his mind since she'd mentioned it earlier. "Now, please explain to me what does any of this have to do with Armani?"

Eve poured them both another shot and quickly drank hers. "We're going shopping. If we're going undercover we have to look the part, and I have no doubt that you're going to look absolutely dashing in an Armani suit." She slid into his lap, facing him, and ran her hands through his hair. "Did I tell you, she asked in an intimate tone, "how much I missed you after you went back to the ship? You were the most fun I'd had in quite a while."

Tony, his eyes darkening with the emotion she was evoking, said in a husky voice, "You were the only good thing that happened during that entire cruise. I looked for you each time I was on shore, but you'd disappeared. You were on assignment then, but what about now?"

"Tony, once I knew that they wanted me dead, I could have gone off the grid and no one would have seen me again. I wasn't going to do that to you. I like you too much for that. I can't remember the last time I asked someone to watch my ass when I was on assignment."

He slid his hands down her back, fingertips gently caressing, "I'll take that as a compliment. But the question remains, what are _we_ doing here?"

Her lips curved into a smile even as she sighed and closed her eyes in appreciation of his caress. "You've got great hands DiNozzo; it's too bad we're not alone on this plane. As to what _we're_ doing here, well, _we're_ flying to Miami. _We're_ going to solve this thing and get _our_ lives back. Once we do, well then, we'll see what happens. I don't make promises, so don't ask for any. Now shut up and kiss me."

"I'm always happy to oblige a lady." Tony pulled her closer and kissed her with a ferocity that shocked even him. Time went into slow motion as she responded to him, the both of them killing time as they traveled to their destination.

* * *

"_CLEAR_!" Gibbs shouted as he moved through the small motel room. This was definitely not the kind of place that he could see DiNozzo hanging out. It was barely a habitable building, much less a place his Senior Field Agent would feel comfortable hiding out in.

Ziva walked by slowly, her perceptive gaze taking in every inch of the room from the bed with its covers in complete disarray to the small envelope sitting on the bedside table. She eyed the bed, knowing exactly what had happened there, and feeling just the smallest bit of jealously. Tony was her partner, and irrational as it seemed, she felt possessive of him.

She eyed the envelope and realized that it was addressed to Gibbs. She picked it up carefully and simply handed it to him. He looked at his name scrawled across the front and instantly recognized Tony's indecipherable handwriting. He carefully opened it and saw a small memory card inside.

"This must have the photographs Tony mentioned earlier, yes?" Ziva asked.

"Ya think David!" Gibbs responded tersely. His temper had been frayed since that morning when DiNozzo had disappeared without a word, and it wasn't improving even though they had some clues to fill in the blanks. What he wanted was his agent back where he could keep an eye on him and head-slap him when necessary. Unfortunately, what he had was a churning gut and no earthly idea where the hell DiNozzo and Dupree had traveled to.

"There's nothing else here, let's head back to the office and see what DiNozzo left us."

* * *

Tony walked around the quaint apartment off Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana. It wasn't a large place by his standards, but it was comfortable. Tony could see her imprint in every room he walked through. "Is this your place?"

Eve gave a proud grin as she watched him admire her home. "Yep, this is where I live between assignments. The great thing is that it's not in my name, so no one will be able to track us. Relax while I run down to the local bodega and grab some groceries. People know me here; no one is going to sneak up on us here."

She slipped back out the door and Tony wandered into her bedroom and settled himself down on her bed. Even with the nap he had taken earlier he was still exhausted. It seemed like this had been the longest day of his life. Five minutes after he had stretched out his long frame he was sound asleep.

Eve returned to the apartment with a small bag of groceries. Tony was nowhere to be seen, until she checked her bedroom. She left him where he lay sleeping and returned to the kitchen. She had a phone call to make and it would be better if she could handle it without him in the room. She went into her hall closet and pulled out a laptop and web cam. She returned to the kitchen and powered it up; a few minutes later she was looking into the face of one of her Control Officers. "Hello Trent. How are things?"

He replied with a crisp British accent. "Fine, Eve, and you?"

Eve suddenly found herself furious and made no effort to hide it when she replied, "Oh, I'm just peachy. Would you like to tell me why the hell Tony and I have Colombian hit squads chasing after us? I was told, _by you_, when I gave my report last summer that the Navy was going to handle their own problem. Obviously, they didn't bother. I'm used to people trying to kill me. I signed up for it; Tony didn't. Since both the navy and our agency are filled with a bunch of complete fuck-ups, Tony and I are going undercover. I need a few things from you, and I don't want to hear a goddamn thing from you about it. I'm emailing you the cover I want set up. Make it happen or I promise you when I finally tie this off, there will be nowhere you can hide from me."

Trent swallowed noticeably. He had known Eve since her training, and he knew her well enough to realize that she meant every word. "Send me the information. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Gibbs plunked a brand-new Caf-Pow on the counter and barked, "Abbs, tell me that you managed to get something from the memory card that DiNozzo left at the motel?"

"Gibbs, the gang has been hard at work all night. I'm working as fast as I can, but I'm not a miracle worker."

"I did get the ballistics from the four 22-caliber weapons recovered at Tony's apartment yesterday. These weapons have been very busy. All four have been tied to 24 unsolved homicides in the DC area. I think Tony was really, really lucky to escape yesterday. Maybe I should stop thinking bad thoughts about Eve Dupree; she helped him stay alive. I'm worried about Tony, Gibbs." She rubbed her eyes furiously. Truthfully, she hadn't slept all night. How could she when Tony was out there amongst strangers? The pictures were going to be difficult, but she wasn't going to stop until she had the answer. "These pictures are going to take some master manipulation to get a face shot, but McGee and I have a plan. He went to get coffee then we're back on the job."

She grabbed Gibbs in a fierce embrace and looked up at him. "Bring him back, Gibbs; please bring him home to us."

"I'll do my best Abbs. Just get me a face from those pictures."

She gave him a salute and again turned to her computers.

* * *

Tony woke to the smell of coffee brewing and breakfast cooking. He staggered into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it and climbed in. Twenty minutes later he was feeling much better as he pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and followed the scent of coffee out to the kitchen.

Eve was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in front of her and her laptop on. She glanced up at Tony as he walked to the coffee maker and poured a cup and said, "Good morning, Sunshine. There are muffins and bacon if you're hungry."

"Whew! Yeah, I definitely could eat. I can't believe I slept that long. Did you sleep any?"

She gave a negative shake of her head as she was distracted by a beep from her computer. "Hmmm, it looks like our cover story has been set up. After you eat we'll go and pick up the papers, and then we'll go do some shopping."

Tony's eyes lit up and he began to eat with gusto.

* * *

Ducky had been sitting at his desk all night, thinking about Tony and his relationship to Eve Dupree. He had come to some conclusions and had decided that a profile would be helpful in finding Tony. As he was putting the finishing touches on part of it Gibbs stalked into autopsy, frustration radiating from him in waves.

"Why Duck? I don't understand why DiNozzo would go off with a woman he barely knows rather than let us help." Gibbs was pacing in circles as he vented to his oldest friend. "Did he think I wouldn't help him? Didn't he think his family would do anything it could to keep him alive? And, how in the hell are we supposed to know where this Spy has hidden him?"

Ducky sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. "Jethro, you know that Anthony doesn't trust easily. We know that he and Ms. Dupree were on assignment together, so we can assume they were involved in some kind of dangerous situation. They probably developed an intense bond of trust brought about by necessity. If she asked for his help, then you and I know that Anthony would do whatever was necessary to assist her, including killing two of the intruders in his apartment.

She too has the same type of attachment to Anthony. I'm sure that she could have disappeared rather than coming here and risking her life to make sure he was safe. I assume, from her line of work, that she also has trust issues. I find it interesting that fate brought these two together. I assure you, the only way that we're going to separate the two of them is to catch them, and, unless she makes a mistake, I don't know how we're going to do that."

Gibbs shook his head, "How the hell does that help me find DiNozzo?"

"It won't, but it will help you understand them. Jethro did you ever think that Anthony may have been trying to protect us by leaving? It would be in his character to sacrifice himself for the rest of us. We just have to pray that we find them before something else happens."

* * *

"I was right; you look fabulous in Armani." Eve was studying Tony as he stood in the middle of the store wearing an Armani suit. "No tie, though. This is Miami after all." She turned to the salesman and stated, "We'll take the black, grey, the navy blue and the tux."

Tony almost choked as he listened to her shop. He had never had so much fun in his entire life, but he couldn't believe that she was actually going to spend the money. He walked over to the counter to stand next to her and watched as she handed a credit card to the clerk and signed with a flourish. It wasn't until he noticed the signature that he did a double take.

They walked out of the store and he turned to her and asked in an incredulous tone, "Who is Eve DiSalvo?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. "Take a look."

He pulled out the passport, driver's license, credit cards and social security card in the name of Anthony DiSalvo but with his picture on them. "What's this?"

This is our cover. We're Anthony and Eve DiSalvo. We'll be meeting a contact tonight at _Insomnia_, a club downtown. He'll get us into see the big fish. This is going to get worse before it gets better. Are you ready to get dirty?"

Tony nodded, "Oh yeah, let's do it."

* * *

It was nearly midnight before the ringing of a phone broke the silence of the bullpen. "Gibbs," he answered on the third ring. "Okay, we'll be right up." He addressed the rest of the team, "Let's go to MTAC. Fornell says that he has something we'll want to see."

It took the entire team less than two minutes to crowd into MTAC and see the face of their FBI counterpart on the screen.

"Jethro, the FBI has been in Miami doing surveillance on a suspected drug trafficker who uses _Insomnia_, a downtown club, for his business meetings. We have been taking video and photos of everyone entering and leaving the club. We also have an agent on the inside that has been monitoring our target."

Gibbs interrupted with a short, "Tobias, I hope that this is going somewhere, I don't have time for you to read me _War and Peace_!"

"Jethro, are you running an undercover operation?" Fornell had finally started to lose his temper with his counterpart

"Why?" Gibbs ground out between clinched teeth

"Because we have surveillance video of DiNozzo and a woman going into this club tonight. What is he doing in the middle of my case?"

Fornell put the video up on the screen for everyone to see. They were all stunned into silence as they saw a black limo pull up to the club and for Tony, in a black suit and sunglasses, to exit followed by Eve in a scarlet dress. They watched the pair pass by the doorman and enter the club escorted by security.

"Jethro, I don't know what's going on, but they were escorted in by the personal body guard of the man we've been watching. We don't have enough to get a warrant. He's very careful and doesn't do anything we can arrest him for. I don't know what you're up to at NCIS, but you tell DiNozzo to stay the hell out of my case!"

The screen went blank, and Gibbs turned to the technician and asked her to send the surveillance video down to the plasma. She nodded her agreement and turned back to her screen.

Back down in the bullpen the team sat in stunned silence. McGee began running his facial recognition program against the video and spit his coffee out when the computer beeped a result.

"Uh, Boss, you really need to see this." He flashed the image and information that he had found on the big screen. Next to the picture of Tony DiNozzo was the name and criminal record of Anthony DiSalvo.

"Tony has gone undercover with a spook as his only back up. What is he thinking, and how the hell did he get a cover that would fool our computer system?" Gibbs paced the room before suddenly slamming his hand on the desk and exclaiming, "The goddamn CIA! They're the only ones who could give a cover that thorough, that fast. Christ, DiNozzo, you just keep digging that hole deeper and deeper. Gear up everyone, we're heading to Miami!"


	5. Born to Run

I don't own NCIS or any of the characters in the show; those lucky stiffs at CBS have that honor. Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and feedback. I hope you enjoy the next chapter in our journey...

* * *

Born to Run

Gibbs left the airport and inhaled the fresh, damp air of a beautiful Miami morning. It had taken all night to actually get a flight and finally arrive. A night spent seething at what he imagined his Senior Field Agent was getting into. Gibbs didn't know what pissed him off more, the fact that Tony had done this without telling him, or the fact that he was doing such a good job at staying one step ahead of his own team.

He had always known that DiNozzo was a skilled undercover agent, and now he had aligned himself with this chameleon from the CIA who had the skills and resources to make the real Tony DiNozzo disappear into someone else entirely. Gibbs' gut was telling him that this thing was going to go bad and that someone was going to end up dead. He just hoped it wouldn't be his agent.

He looked at the rest of his team. Like him they had been running on caffeine and adrenaline but were starting to look the worse for wear. The group picked up their rental car and headed off to take care of the first order of business, checking into a hotel. After he had filled out the registration for the two rooms, he looked at his two agents who were almost swaying on their feet.

"Ziva, McGee, I want you both to hit the rack for a few hours. You two look like you're about to drop." They both nodded gratefully and trudged off to their respective rooms. McGee turned back and looked at Gibbs who was standing in the lobby. He asked, "Boss, what about you?"

"I'm going to call Fornell and get him to pick me up. I want to see all of their surveillance from last night. I'll check back in with you in a couple of hours. Now go get some sleep before I change my mind!"

"On it, Boss." McGee turned back towards the elevator where Ziva was courteously holding the doors open for him.

Ziva looked at her co-worker and said, "Tim, I am afraid that Tony has nailed the dog here."

McGee looked flabbergasted then almost giggled when he corrected her, "It's screwed the pooch, Ziva. But yeah, you're right. Tony is really getting in deep, and I'm afraid of what's gonna to happen when the boss actually does catch up to him." They both fell silent, thinking of their teammate as the elevator dinged its arrival on their floor and they separated to enter their respective rooms.

* * *

The morning sun coming through the curtains was what had ultimately awakened Tony from his deep slumber. He lay there for a while basking in the feel of Eve's slim body snuggled next to his, her head pillowed on his chest. He didn't know why he felt so comfortable here hidden away in this small apartment miles and miles away from his real life.

As much as he loved his job and life in DC, something had definitely been missing from it. It had all started when Gibbs had left for Mexico, and had just gotten progressively worse through the entire La Grenouille debacle, continuing with the way his relationship with Jeanne had ended and finally crashing with Jenny's death in that desert diner. The last 18 months had been a slice of hell, and Tony had gotten to the point of just going from day to day. It wasn't exactly living, not by his former standards, but it worked for him.

He had felt more alive while running for his life than he had in months. It was a weird sort of paradox, and he didn't know quite what to make of it. What he did know was that he was having a great time running all over the country with Eve, although he also knew, without a doubt, that his boss was going to either kill him or fire him, he just wasn't sure which, hell, he could do both. This was Gibbs he was talking about. Although he felt conflicted about the role he was playing in this drama, Tony resolved not to worry about the consequences until it was time to face them. Well if Gibbs decided to fire him, maybe he could work for the CIA...

He was lost in his musings, but not so far gone that he didn't feel her begin to stir beside him.

"You awake?" Her voice was throaty from sleep.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head in answer before replying, "Yeah. I was just thinking."

"About what?" She started stroking his chest, kneading her nails gently into his flesh as she listened to him.

"About how I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of a James Bond movie."

Eve chuckled and said, "Why does that not surprise me." She lifted her head so she could look directly at Tony when she said, "We've got a big day ahead of us. We're meeting Terry back at the club. He's going to introduce us to his contact and hopefully we can get a meeting with that navy officer we saw in Colombia."

He nodded and smirked when he said, "Evie, I am in awe of the depth and breadth of your circle of acquaintances." He fell silent for a second then said, "I wonder if Gibbs got anything from the pictures."

"I'm sure we'll find out later. I have no doubt that the FBI surveillance team ran our photos last night when we were going into the club." She laughed quietly then said, "I hope they don't actually think that Terry doesn't know they're watching him. There was even an agent inside the club. If I had to bet I'd say that your team is here in Miami."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah, your boss is like a dog with a bone. He just won't let go."

Tony sighed and stroked her hair. "Well, I wonder what they're doing now."

* * *

Gibbs was well and truly pissed. He had just spent the last hour going over the surveillance footage from the previous night, and the one thing that was certain was that everyone in that club, including Tony and Eve, knew the FBI was watching. Hell, she had looked directly at the camera and smirked as she and Tony had exited the club. This entire operation was a major clusterfuck in too many ways for him to even describe. Of course Fornell hadn't been too keen on hearing his opinion, but as far as Gibbs was concerned that was just tough.

He figured if he waited around long enough then DiNozzo would get around to calling again. It was a safe bet that Eve had figured out that he was in town, and if she knew then he had no doubt that Tony knew. The question that kept nagging his brain and giving him ulcers was why. Why hadn't Tony felt that he could come to the team? Gibbs just couldn't wrap his brain around that one at all, and the only way he was going to get an answer was from the horse's mouth. Well, the first thing he was going to do when he saw DiNozzo was head-slap him into next week, then he'd get his answers.

The other option Gibbs was toying with was making a call to Trent Kort. The CIA operative had been uncharacteristically quiet since this whole fiasco had begun. Perhaps it was time to pick his brain and see what he would say about the situation. Gibbs was just reaching for his phone when it began to ring.

He grabbed it, expecting to hear McGee or Ziva on the other end, and answered, "Gibbs." His voice was gravelly from too much coffee and not enough sleep.

"Hey Boss." Tony replied in a matter of fact tone. "How do you like the weather down here? Sure beats DC doesn't it?"

"DiNozzo, I know you didn't call me to talk about the damn weather. What's on your mind?" Gibbs was wanted answers, so he kept a tight rein on his temper in an attempt to get more information from his Senior Field Agent.

Tony was silent for a second then said, "Did Abby get an I.D. from the pictures we left at the motel?"

"DiNozzo, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing? Do you _want_ to get yourself killed?"

Tony ignored both questions and again asked, "Did you get an I.D.?"

Gibbs realized that Tony wasn't going to answer his question. This was a hell of a time for DiNozzo's stubborn streak to make an appearance, but it wasn't unexpected. Tony would not follow blindly, so if he was so committed to following Eve Dupree he must have a good reason. He decided to try the direct approach. "_What_ did you see in Colombia?"

"Okay, Boss, here it is; I'm only gonna say it once so listen closely. Eve and I were following a target, doing surveillance, and we saw him meet with an American sailor. It was an officer if I'm not mistaken. Eve took some pictures and gave them to me. I passed them up the chain of command after I got back to the ship. Obviously those pictures got into the wrong hands. That's the story. Will you see if you can get an I.D. off of the pictures? I'll check back with you later today."

Gibbs swore loudly when the phone went dead in his hand.

* * *

Tony looked at Eve who was sitting at the table with a huge mug of coffee and a cigarette. "Well, what do you think?"

She took a drag on her cigarette and exhaled slowly as she thought. "I hope that he'll get distracted with the pictures now. He's going to be curious about who the sailor is. He won't go back to DC, but hopefully he'll be distracted enough to allow us to do our work."

Tony stood behind her chair and put his hands around her neck, kneading the tight muscles. "Christ, you're tense; you need to relax." His hands continued to work the muscles in her neck and shoulders as he said, "You know, I've been wondering ever since the first time I saw it, why a tiger."

She rolled her head back and closed her eyes, nearly purring in enjoyment as he continued to knead her neck. ""Hmmm, you mean my tattoo? I got it when I was 17, and I was in Hong Kong with my parents. I was born in the year of the tiger, so it seemed appropriate." She laughed and leaned back into him. My mother almost had a heart attack when she saw it, but it was too late…"

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted her tale. Tony's hands froze as she reached into her bag and grabbed her agency phone. She answered, "Yes." He walked around to sit in the chair next to her and study her as she spoke. He watched the change in her entire demeanor, watched her eyes and voice become totally devoid of emotion. The change was so sudden that he really wished he could hear the other end of the conversation. She listened for a minute then said, "Yes sir, I understand. I'll take care of it, and get back to you ASAP."

She snapped the phone shut and immediately lit another cigarette. He sat there in silence with her for a couple of minutes before asking, "What's up. What do they want you to do?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

He rolled his eyes at her question and replied, "I wouldn't ask if I didn't"

"They want to offer you a job. What do you think? You wanna be a spy?"

Tony sat there stunned for a moment. Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them. He couldn't think of a single reply that would make any sense. Realizing she wasn't going to get an answer, and not really sure what answer she wanted from him, Eve put her cigarette out and turned again to Tony. "Well, you think about it. For now, we better get ready for our meeting. We went unarmed last night as a courtesy, but don't forget your sidearm today; from now on, we're strapped."

* * *

Fornell, Gibbs, McGee and Ziva were watching _Insomnia_ in shifts. Gibbs had no hard proof, but his gut was telling him that DiNozzo and Dupree would end up back here again. At Gibbs' insistence the surveillance detail was now watching the back entrance of the club. He knew DiNozzo, and he knew that if he did show back up here then he would go through the back to avoid detection.

Four hours after they first started watching, their patience was rewarded when Tony, with Eve at his side, entered the club through the alley entrance. Gibbs was on the phone with Abby and Ducky trying to get an update when McGee grabbed his arm to force his attention to the video feed. They watched four armed men enter the building through the same entrance. Five minutes after that the first shots rang out.

* * *

Tony and Eve entered the back entrance of the club and walked to the back table where Terry sat waiting. He was a handsome man in his early forties with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His companion was a tall, black man with skin the color of milk chocolate and a ready smile. Terry looked up at the pair who stood by his table and indicated that they should sit.

"Ah Eve it's a pleasure to see you as always. Allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine; this is Samuel. He has some information you both might be interested in."

Eve nodded to both men and sat down. Tony stood behind her and put both hands on her shoulders in a proprietary manner before saying, "It's good to meet you Samuel. What do you have for us today?" He was on edge, but his acting skill was such that he was able to mask his nerves and show nothing but bravado to the room at large. His gut was screaming to him that there was something very wrong with this meeting, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

It wasn't much longer before his gut was proven correct. Samuel had just given Eve an envelope that they both hoped would contain the name of the man they were looking for. Before she could pay him for his trouble, a noise at the entrance caught both Tony and Eve's attention. She turned to Terry and asked, "What's going on, Terry?"

The blonde man dropped his eyes to the table and refused to look at her. She continued, "You roll us over?"

He finally looked up at the pair who were staring daggers at him and replied, "In the clover, my dear, in the clover. I'm sorry but I had no choice."

Eve stood beside Tony and reached under her jacket for her knives at the same time he pulled his side arm. "If I had more time Terry, I'd make you beg before I finally killed you. As it stands, well, you're just going to die. No one sells me out." She threw her first knife with a lightning quick move. It embedded itself in the man's chest and he fell over in his chair. Tony quickly shot the first body guard when he made a move towards them. Amongst all of the chaos erupting in the room, Samuel attempted to make a run for the door but was cut down by the four armed men coming in. Tony and Eve dove behind an overturned table as the men opened fire.

* * *

Gibbs felt his heart stop and his stomach clinch into an icy knot as the gunfire began. He knew that he was going to be too late to stop whatever was happening, but for DiNozzo's sake he was going to do his damnedest to try.

With Ziva and Tim running right on his heels like the hounds of hell, he raced to the entrance of the club. Just as they got inside the door the shots ended and an eerie silence fell over the entire building. He entered the main room, not sure what to expect, but certain he would find Tony lying dead on the floor like so much trash. When there was no sign of Tony amongst the dead he felt relief sweep through his system like a drug. This was the first time in his life he was happy that DiNozzo had managed to disappoint him. He didn't know how his Senior Field Agent had managed it, but he was still alive, and there was no sign of either him or Eve anywhere in the building.

A careful search of the club provided the answer to the riddle of what had happened to DiNozzo. Ziva had found the entrance to the wine cooler and a hidden exit to the building adjoining the club. Since it had taken them over an hour to find the exit, Gibbs knew that his quarry was long gone. Somehow Tony and Eve had slipped past the FBI agents swarming the building and had disappeared back into the seamy underside of the city.

* * *

Tony held Eve tightly against his side as they slowly made their way back to Calle Ocho and the refuge her apartment afforded. Her arm was wounded, having been hit by a ricochet as they fought their way out of the building. He took the key she offered and let them both into the apartment. She sank down on a chair with a relieved groan and pointed him to the first aid kit she kept hidden in the closet.

Tony patched her arm up, relieved the wound had been a through and though. It was painful and bloody, but wouldn't require a hospital. He watched as she poured several shots of tequila to numb the pain then tried to light a cigarette. Seeing her hands shake with pain, he took the lighter from her. She nodded her gratitude and took a deep drag, closing her eyes against the pain of her wound.

"What's our next move?" Tony was worried, but knew they needed to keep to their mission.

"We need to pack." She pulled the envelope out of her jacket pocket. It was blood smeared, but the papers within were still legible. "Our sailor's name is George Santos. His orders have him on leave this week, but in two days he's going to be back in DC. I guess our next move is to head back to DC and have a chat with Lieutenant Santos."


	6. Doubling Up

Okay, here's the usual disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any characters from the show. CBS has that privilege. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It turned out a bit different than I saw it originally, but I think it worked. Thanks for all of your kind words. Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter in our journey…

* * *

Doubling Up

Tony nodded his head at Eve in agreement but then added a condition of his own. "Okay, before we have 'a talk' with Lieutenant Santos, I want Abby to verify his identity from the pictures we took in Colombia."

Eve gave him an indecipherable look then very simply asked, "Why?"

"Two reasons actually. First, I don't trust the guy who just set us up to be killed."

"And the other?"

Tony smiled and replied, "Rule Eight."

Now Eve looked puzzled. "What the hell is Rule Eight?"

"It's just something Gibbs taught me. 'Never take anything for granted, always double check.' I'd feel better if we were sure that this is the guy _before_ we ruin his career."

She considered his request for a minute then nodded her head. She had a glint in her eye and a smug look on her face that he couldn't explain as she watched him pace through her small kitchen.

"I want to go back tonight." He said it suddenly, as if he couldn't contain the thought any longer.

Now that wasn't something she was expecting, so she frowned for a second before she asked for the second time, "Why?"

He smirked then said, "Just trying to keep one step ahead of that horse, Evie. Know what I mean?"

This time she gave him a smile that lit up the room, "Now you're thinking like a spy, Tony. Let's pack and I'll call the pilot and have them get the jet ready."

* * *

Gibbs had moved beyond frustration. He couldn't even give a name to the emotions that were filling his head and making it impossible for him to relax and even eat a meal. He eyed his two agents as they picked at their dinner. McGee finally gave up and excused himself from the table to return to his room, ostensibly to rest, but more than likely to call Abby and update her.

Gibbs was not a man for soul searching and deep inner reflection, but that is exactly what he found himself doing as he brooded over the coffee cup sitting before him on the table. It was amazing how DiNozzo's absence had changed the entire dynamic of the team. His absence was palpable and Gibbs wanted him back. He wanted the juvenile jokes and the constant stream of movie references that Tony was constantly coming up with. Very simply, he wanted his _whole_ team back. The question was whether he could extricate his Senior Field Agent from the CIA before it swallowed him up and he disappeared, never to be seen again.

He looked up from his musings and caught Ziva eyeing him with a strange expression on her face. She didn't look away when he caught her eye, if anything she seemed to study him more intensely. "You are worried about Tony, yes?"

For once Gibbs didn't feel like giving a defensive answer, he was just too damned tired. He nodded his head "Yeah. I'm worried, Ziver. Tony keeps getting in deeper and deeper with Agent Dupree. I don't want him hurt."

"Gibbs, I know her, however brief our acquaintance, and if she has kept him this close to her side, then she will watch his back. She did not have to come to Washington and warn him. She could have disappeared, never to be seen again."

"Ziva, how do you _know_ her?" Gibbs needed _someone_ to give him answers, so he stated, "Tell me who she is."

She gave him a serious look before replying to his question. Ziva wasn't one to speak of her life before she came to his team, but she wanted him to know that she saw both sides of this issue. "Gibbs, I used to be her before I came to NCIS. I know the life she leads, the life of a killer. It is a lonely road she travels, and it seems that she and Tony have connected in some way. We both know that Tony has not been himself in quite some time. He has blamed himself for many things that were not his fault, has drank too much to ease his pain. He may see in her a kindred soul, I do not know. You must trust him to ultimately make the correct choice, Gibbs. You trained him, and his loyalty has always been to you."

Gibbs was uncharacteristically silent during her speech, and seemed to be taking her words to heart when he nodded. "Okay, you're the spy. What do you think her next move will be?"

"She will not stay here. There is too much exposure. I think she will leave the city soon; it is what I would do."

Gibbs considered then said, "We're heading back to DC as soon as we can get a flight. Get some rest if you can. I have a feeling that the next few days are going to be hell."

* * *

Abby had not left her lab, preferring to sleep there until she knew that her whole family was back together. It was currently 4 a.m., and she was sitting in the corner on her futon, squeezing Bert for comfort. McGee's earlier phone call had done nothing to ease her nerves. She wanted Tony home where she could hug him and make sure that he was alright. She knew that he had been hurting for a long time, but he wouldn't talk to her about it. She had tried to convey in every hug that she was here for him, but thus far he hadn't taken her up on her offer.

She had watched as he had gone deeper into himself and put on his mask more firmly that ever. He had a whole arsenal of things to keep people from getting too close, but Abby had managed to sneak in when he had least expected it. She had seen him in all moods from happy, to sad, to very, very drunk, and she had seen the dark side of his personality after Jenny had been killed. Tony's dark side worried her, it seemed to come out more and more frequently, and she wondered if his trust in Gibbs had been permanently scarred by the whole 'retiring to Mexico then coming back to work' thing.

She heard the elevator arrive on her floor, and she wondered if Ducky had come in to check on her again. Her eyes widened in shock and she jumped off the floor in excitement as Tony entered her lab.

"TONY!" She screamed his name and threw herself at him, squeezing as tight as she could as she hugged him. "I'm sooo happy to see you! Why have you been gone so long, Mister? I was scared that you were gonna get killed!"

"Abbs, I need air." Tony wheezed as he tried to gasp for breath.

"Sorry." She released him but pressed herself to his side for comfort. For the first time since he had entered the room, she noticed Eve leaning against the wall, watching the show with some amusement. She had her arm cradled to her side protectively and looked to be in pain. Abby was thankful to the woman for bringing _her_ Tony back home so she asked, "Agent Dupree, are you okay? You don't look so good. Why don't you sit down here and I'll call Ducky back in?"

Eve sat down on the proffered chair gratefully. Not only was her arm throbbing, but her side felt as though she might have reopened the wound as she and Tony had fought to escape the flying bullets and the threat of death inside the club. She was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to be somewhere she could relax and let her guard down. Unfortunately, they had left that place behind in Miami and were back in Washington.

At least Tony looked happy; the Goth scientist had attached herself to his side and seemed as though she wasn't going to let go. Eve sighed to herself as she observed their easy rapport. They were close in a way that Eve almost envied. The last time she had been around someone who she could be that open and relaxed with was when she was 20, just before the Agency had recruited her.

All of the things she had seen and done since that time had changed her in some fundamental way. Eve had given up on prayer years ago, but she was thankful to some vague higher power that Tony hadn't been hurt during their mission. She had promised that she would protect him _no matter what_, and so far she had done exactly that. What she hadn't expected was that she would care so much about him. If she were completely honest with herself she would have to admit that it was easy to feel for Tony. He had stirred something within her that she had forgotten existed. But then again, he was a good man, loyal to those he cared about, and he had protected her better than anyone else she had worked with in her 14 year career as a spy.

When she had agreed to take the assignment, she had been given a complete briefing on the man with whom she would be working by someone who knew him very well. Eve had been told that all he really wanted was for someone to want _him_, to be there for _him_ and to _tell him that he was appreciated_. She had done exactly that, and he had responded just as she had anticipated. She hoped that he would seriously think about the offer that the Agency had made. It would suit her to no end to have Tony as her permanent partner. There were many extra benefits to having him with her. Yes, she concluded, he would make an excellent covert operative once she had trained him a bit.

* * *

Ducky entered Abby's lab about 15 minutes later. He hadn't been surprised when she had called and asked him to come back and see her. He had brought his medical bag as she had requested, but had still been completely and utterly surprised to find Anthony and Eve keeping her company in the lab.

Ducky felt a wave of relief and a bit of paternal pride wash over him as he gave Tony a quick once-over. "Anthony, my dear boy, it's so good to see you again. Jethro will be so relieved to hear you're back in town. He has been beside himself worrying about you."

"Hey Duck. I expect that we'll be calling Gibbs once it's a more respectable hour. We came back because we have a lead to check out. Before we get to that, can you look at Eve's arm? She caught one when we were ambushed yesterday afternoon."

Ducky's attention immediately went to the woman sitting in the chair by the desk. She looked the worse for wear, pain dancing across her delicate features. The gentle Scotsman was immediately concerned. "My dear, what have you done to yourself now? Come on; let me take a look at it."

Eve looked up at Ducky with a wry smile on her face when she said, "I didn't do it on purpose, I promise."

Tony disentangled himself from Abby and crossed the room to assist Eve as she stood and followed Ducky to autopsy. He then turned back to Abby and held out his hand to her. She gave a huge smile and followed him to Ducky's domain.

Ducky was currently assisting Eve in removing her shirt so he could look at her wounds. Blood had begun to seep through the bandage on her arm. He cut off the gauze and took a look at the hole the bullet had left. Luckily it had missed the bone and passed straight through. He gave Tony a knowing smile as he started cleaning it up. "Anthony, you did a good job with that field dressing. It won't be too difficult to close this back up." When Ducky finished with her arm and moved to her side the smile promptly left his face. The cut he had so carefully sutured was torn open and was oozing blood. He shook his head as he again sutured her side back together again.

"My dear, I need to give you some antibiotic injections. Will you have a problem with that?"

She wearily shook her head no and closed her eyes as he gave her several shots. "Thank you again, Ducky. Hopefully this will be the last time I need to be patched up."

Abby was looking with interest at Eve's tattoo. "That's a nice piece of art you have on your back, Agent Dupree."

"Thank you. Please, call me Eve." She chuckled as she noticed the myriad of tattoos Abby sported, "I see you have several of your own." Eve carefully climbed down from the table and, with Tony's help, put her shirt back on. "Do you think you could check on something for us? I am almost certain that Tony and I have found out the identity of the man in the pictures we left for you, but Tony wants to be completely certain. He said something about 'Rule Eight'; I still don't get that." She smiled ruefully as she passed Abby the bloodstained envelope.

The group made their way back to Abby's lab where she cranked up the music and brought her equipment back to life. While she worked Tony and Eve sat on the futon. They both dozed lightly, her head cushioned by his broad shoulder.

Two hours later the peace and quiet of the lab was broken by Abby's sudden exclamation which woke them up with a start, they both jumped up as the excited Goth did a victory dance around the lab.

"AH HA! I've got him!" Abby was boogying around in circles in her excitement. "His name is Lieutenant George Santos, and according to the GPS on his cell phone, he's here in the city." She scribbled the information and handed it to Tony who pocketed it.

Ducky looked a bit concerned as he asked, "Anthony, why do you need to know who this man is?"

Tony looked at Ducky and said briefly. "We saw him in Colombia. Abbs, I need my badge and I.D. back."

She flashed a huge smile as she reached into a drawer and handed it to him. He put it in his jacket pocket and looked at Eve who was standing there giving him an inscrutable stare. "We are going to arrest him, right Eve?"

She gave a sly smile and replied, "If you say so, Tony. I suppose it will be much easier to interrogate him here." She looked at Ducky, "When do you expect Agent Gibbs to return from Miami?"

"He called me late last night; they should be arriving sometime this morning. Jethro seemed to be particularly moody when I spoke to him. I expect he's going to want to talk to you both about this merry chase you've been leading him on."

Tony looked a bit upset by that announcement while Eve gave a serene smile to the room at large.

Abby's phone rang loudly on the desk, and she hurried to answer, "You're on the air."

"Hey Abbs." Gibbs' said on the other end of the call.

"GibbsGibbsGibbs! Guess who I'm looking at right now?"

Abby, I'm not in the mood to guess. I've been traveling all night. We were lucky to catch the red eye. Who are you looking at?"

"Tony. He's right here in my lab, and guess what else?"

"Abby, you put DiNozzo on the damn phone right NOW!"

She pulled the phone away from her ear and wordlessly held it out to Tony. He took it with some trepidation but smiled when he said, "Morning Boss. Have a good flight?"

Gibbs could almost hear the smile come through the phone, and it pissed him off to no end. His frustration surfaced again and he snarled, "DiNozzo, I'm going to be back at the office in an hour. You had better have your ass sitting at your desk and some kind of amazing explanation for all of the bullshit that's been going on for the past several days."

Tony's voice took on an empty quality as he replied, "Sorry, Boss, Can't do it. Eve and I have some things to take care of. I'll be back later on today, I promise."

He gently put the phone back on its receiver and motioned to Eve to follow him. "We'll be back. Gibbs is probably going to can me when this is finished…" His voice trailed behind him as they left the room, on their way to find Santos.

* * *

McGee's life was flashing before his eyes as he gripped the door handle and prayed that Gibbs wouldn't kill all of them in his rush to get back to the office and confront DiNozzo. He glanced back at Ziva, and she even looked worried as Gibbs skidded around the corner into the parking lot at NCIS. McGee gave a sigh of relief as Gibbs parked the car haphazardly and jumped out on his way inside. He looked at Ziva still sitting in the backseat and said, "I wouldn't want to be in Tony's shoes when Gibbs finds him. It's not going to be pretty."

"Perhaps we should get inside and get a good seat for the show." Ziva replied with a bit of a smirk.

Tim looked at her, smiled and the two teammates raced each other inside the building. Once they got to the bullpen they found it completely empty, no one in sight. They gave a sigh and sat down at their respective desks. A few minutes after that they had both fallen asleep.

The quiet of the bullpen and their nap was interrupted a short time later when they were awakened by Tony and Eve as they argued the pros and cons of torture as an interrogation device all the while forcing a handcuffed man towards the interview rooms. They disappeared down the hall but were back a couple of minutes later to find Gibbs, Ducky, and Abby in the bullpen with McGee and Ziva. The anger was practically vibrating off Gibbs as he stood there with his arms crossed, watching the pair reenter the room.

Tony looked at the crowd awaiting them then looked at Eve. She gave an indifferent shrug of her shoulders,so he turned to Gibbs, smiled and said, "Hey, Boss. It's good to see you."


	7. Inertia

I don't own NCIS. Those lucky, lucky people at CBS do. If I did own it, well I'd get to spend time with Gibbs and the Gang on a regular basis. This chapter was a bit difficult to write. I've been fighting off a bad bug and feel like I was run over. Thank you for all of your kind words. I read and really appreciate all of them. And now, here's the next chapter in our journey…

* * *

Inertia

_  
Inertia: A property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force._

"Is that _ALL_ you have to say to me, DiNozzo?" Gibbs was furious, he hadn't even known how angry he actually was until he was face to face with his subordinate. He stood there…waiting, hoping that Tony would give him an answer that would restore his faith in the bond he shared with his Senior Field Agent. Gibbs wanted answers, but he wasn't going to let him off the hook, oh no, he had his comeuppance coming.

Tony wasn't giving an inch either. Gibbs' comment had caused him to feel a wave of anger, and the smile left his face as quickly as it had appeared. He was sick and goddamn tired of being treated like he was the village idiot. Gibbs didn't act this way with any of his other teammates. He had helped the Probie when his sister had been accused of murder, and when the FBI had been searching for Ziva, Gibbs hadn't given her a hard time, hell no; he'd helped clear her name. There had been teams of assassins trying to kill him and Eve. All they'd done was to try to find out who was behind it so their friends and family would be safe, and look how Gibbs behaved. It just solidified his decision not to go to him in the first place. He'd learned a long time ago that it was easier to not confide in others, and this mess had reinforced that lesson in spades. It seemed to Tony that the only person he'd been able to count on lately was Eve. How twisted was that, the person he trusted the most right now was someone who made her living through secrets and lies?

Gibbs was tired of this Mexican standoff, so he narrowed his eyes and gave DiNozzo his patented stare. He knew from experience that Tony was unable to stand it when he was the target of Gibbs' anger, and he would usually back right down. He was surprised and a bit proud at the reaction he was receiving from his Senior Field Agent. Gibbs' blue eyes were locked with Tony's green ones, and Gibbs realized that something had fundamentally changed. DiNozzo was showing absolutely no emotion as he stood side by side with Agent Dupree. He didn't seem to be affected by the anger emanating from the man he had always had always held up as his standard; if anything he seemed a bit bored by the entire situation.

For her part, Eve was prepared to act if anyone made a hostile move towards her or Tony. Quickly, she assessed the situation that she and Tony found themselves in. Ducky and Abby had already proved that they were trustworthy, so her gaze passed over them as she looked at the rest of Tony's teammates. She ignored Ziva even though she was well acquainted with the Mossad Officer's skills; she wasn't a threat because she was calm, almost icy in her demeanor. McGee stood there, and Eve wanted to laugh at the computer expert as he watched the standoff with a mixture of fascination and horror. That only left Gibbs. He seemed to be the biggest threat so the majority of her attention was focused on him. In her opinion, his anger was almost irrational, and that made him unpredictable. What had enraged him so much? Was it because Tony had not asked _him_ for help, or was it that Tony had managed to stay at least one move ahead in this chess match? She stood by Tony's side and studied Gibbs, her emerald eyes completely devoid of any feeling.

Standing on the sidelines, Ziva was concerned about the situation as it was developing. Her experienced gaze rested on Eve as she stood by Tony's side; her hands resting lightly on her hips, ready to reach for her weapons if she felt threatened. Ziva had seen the CIA Operative in action, and knew that she liked to get up close and personal with those knives she kept hidden. This was going to go bad if someone didn't intervene. It really wouldn't take much more tension for this situation to explode into a violent confrontation. All Ziva could do was to be ready to react and to hope that Gibbs' common sense would prevail.

NCIS Director Leon Vance entered the area and led his guest through the bullpen on the way to the interrogation rooms. He was shocked to find his agents divided into opposite sides and the air thick with tension. He settled his gaze on Gibbs, assessed the situation correctly, and said sharply, "Stand down Agent Gibbs. I don't know what's going on here, and I don't care. I want to introduce you to our guest. Special Agent Jethro Gibbs this is John Maxwell, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency." His gaze landed on Tony and Eve, so he continued, "Agent DiNozzo, you and Agent Dupree have done an exemplary job in finding the mole in our drug enforcement program. I understand you have a suspect in interrogation."

Tony nodded, and said, "Yes, Director. Eve... I mean Agent Dupree, and I apprehended Lieutenant George Santos this morning. We have surveillance photos of him meeting with a high ranking member of the Cartagena Cartel."

CIA Director Maxwell turned to his favorite enforcer and said, "Dupree, I want you to sit in on the interrogation of this man. Agent DiNozzo will handle the questioning, but don't let this bastard forget who owns him now. Get him to set up a meet between your DiSalvo alias and the head of the Cartel. Once you're in, well, you know what you need to do."

"Yes, Sir, "She glanced at Tony and continued, "Will Agent DiNozzo be accompanying me to the meet? I may need him to sell the cover story."

Maxwell looked at Vance who nodded his head. "This will continue to be a joint NCIS/CIA operation. Agent DiNozzo will accompany you to the meeting, but I want this operation tied off completely; you make sure that there are NO loose ends, understood?"

Both DiNozzo and Dupree nodded and said in unison, "Yes Sir." They turned and walked to interrogation together, resuming their earlier conversation about torture and leaving five dumbfounded team members and two very amused directors in their wake.

Gibbs stepped up into Vance's personal space and said, "Leon, you wanna explain just what the hell is going on? Why has my Senior Field Agent been involved in a covert op that I didn't know about?"

"DiNozzo has been working a joint operation with the CIA. He wasn't on your team when the operation began, and this part was strictly need-to-know."

Gibbs felt the sting of the jibe. Apparently, Vance didn't think that he needed to know about the risks Tony had been taking. It hurt his pride, so he came out swinging. "Did DiNozzo even know about the second part of the op, or did he find out when the Colombians tried to kill him?" Gibbs spat, frustrated with the information, or rather the lack of it.

Director Maxwell stepped forward and interjected himself into the conversation. A tall distinguished man with salt and pepper hair and dark brown eyes, he was a spy from the old school who had made it through the cold war and all the way to the top of his agency. He put his hand on Gibbs' shoulder and said in smooth, melodious tones, "You actually have Agent Dupree to thank for warning your man. She figured out what was happening, and at great risk to herself, came here to make sure that Agent DiNozzo was informed. Now, Leon, why don't you lead the way, I want to watch this interrogation."

* * *

The two directors headed to the observation room followed closely by Gibbs and his team. The large group crowded into the small room and found DiNozzo and Dupree in the middle of their interrogation of the naval officer. Tony was sitting across from the man whist Eve was leaning against the wall. He put one of the pictures on the table, one that clearly showed the Lieutenant meeting with the cartel, and he slid it forward. Giving the man a chance to look at the content he finally said in a hard tone, "Would you like to explain this?"

George Santos took one look at the picture, and started to hyperventilate, his dark eyes darting around the room in panic. "I want a lawyer. I'm not gonna say another word without a lawyer."

Tony leaned back in his chair and looked at Eve. He gave her a brief nod then stood up. "Agent Dupree, you wanna tell the man what he just won?"

"It would be my pleasure." She left the wall and walked behind the suspect; she leaned down over his shoulder and said in his ear, "Lieutenant George Santos, you get an all expense, paid trip to beautiful, tropical Guantanamo Bay."

The man began to sputter and panic, "I'm not a terrorist! You can't do that to me!"

Eve gave a feral smile that didn't even come close to reaching her eyes. "I don't have to prove you're a terrorist; I just have to say it. Now, you talk to me here, or we get on a plane for Cuba. Since we've just spent the last four days being chased by hit squads hired by the cartel, I'm not impressed by your plea for your civil rights."

"Oh, God. You're not a cop are you?" He was clearly terrified at the thought.

She gave a slow shake of her head, enjoying the man's terror. She knew that this guy didn't really have the stomach for the criminal life, so it was just a matter of time. Tony caught her eye and grinned at her as they waited for the suspect to cave in.

"What do you want?" Santos voice was quiet. He had clearly figured out that he was dealing with The Agency and was resigned to his fate, whatever it may be.

"We want you to set up a meeting for me and my partner with the head of the Cartagena Cartel." Santos nodded his agreement and Eve continued, patting the man on the head as she spoke. "Good boy, don't ever forget that we own you now. You work for us, so I hope that whatever they gave you was worth it because you're going to spend the rest of your life paying for it."

She turned to leave, but a soft admission from Santos stopped her. "I didn't do it for money.

Tony turned around and asked, "Why the hell would you do it then, if not for money?"

"_La cartel de Cart__agena es mi familia"_

Eve dropped her head and swore under her breath, "_Fuck_!" She stalked over to Santos and got directly in his personal space, Tony on her heels. "You're his nephew, aren't you? I should have seen the resemblance. I promise you, you're going to pay for what you've done! You're getting a one way trip to Guantanamo Bay if it's the last damned thing I do!"

Tony grabbed her by the arm pulled her from the room; slamming the door behind them as they exited. She walked up to her director and said, "It's done. Once he makes the arrangements Tony and I will go. There will be no loose ends this time."

He nodded his approval and said, "Go and get some rest. You've done an excellent job on this op. You and Agent DiNozzo will be notified when the meeting has been set up and all of the arrangements are finalized. Why don't you go check in to a hotel and get some rest before you have to leave again?"

"Thank you, Director. I think I will." She looked at Tony and asked, "Are you coming?'

"Ah, I think I might need to stay here and do some damage control."

"We're partners; I'll stay here until you can leave." He started to protest, but she held her hand up and continued, "You've had my back through all of this, don't forget, that works two ways."

* * *

Gibbs wanted answers, and he had decided that the only way he was going to get them was to corner DiNozzo and force him to explain. Well, first he was going to give him a head slap he'd never forget, and then he'd let him explain what the hell had been going on. He caught Tony and Eve entering the bull pen and startled them both when he bellowed, "DiNozzo! My. Office_. NOW_!"

Instinct was the only thing that made Tony walk towards the elevator. He gently gave Eve a push towards his desk and said, "I need to talk to him. Check your e-mail or something."

"Are you certain?"

He nodded and replied, "I owe him an explanation at the very least."

She nodded and turned towards his desk, pausing only to throw casually over her shoulder, "Tony, if he harms one hair on your head, well, I'm not going to be responsible for my actions. Make sure he understands that."

Tony flashed a slightly embarrassed grin as he followed his Boss towards the elevator. He had the feeling that he was heading towards the gallows, but knew that he owed Gibbs everything, and he would somehow have to make him understand that he was trying to protect the team when he had disappeared. If he wouldn't understand, well then, it might be time to start thinking seriously about the offer from the CIA.

* * *

Eve relaxed at Tony's desk and took a long drink of the soda she had purchased from the vending machine. She looked at Ziva, watching as the other woman quietly went through the paperwork that had accumulated on her desk. "It's been awhile, Ziva. How have you been?"

"I have been well, Eve. I have been here at NCIS for over three years now, and I have enjoyed my work here."

"It's a big difference from Mossad, I imagine."

Ziva glanced up from her paperwork; her perceptive gaze taking in the way the CIA agent had made herself at home at Tony's desk by leaning back with her feet propped up. "And you? You have been well, yes?"

Eve inclined her head and replied, "I have." She gave a sly smile, her emerald green eyes sparkling with mischief as she said, "I've really _enjoyed_ spending time with Tony. He's a great guy." She didn't miss the way Ziva stiffened slightly when she threw out that little pearl. She laughed to herself and tilted back as far as the chair would allow. Now if the man in question would hurry up so they could get back to work.

* * *

Tony stood stiffly in the elevator; Gibbs hadn't moved or said a word since the doors had shut and he'd hit the emergency stop. Finally, Tony became weary of the steely blue gaze focused on him and decided to bite the bullet, "Ah, Boss, I'm not going to apologize; I know how you feel about that. I did what I did to protect the team. I didn't know what Eve had gotten into, and I sure as hell didn't want any covert op I was involved in to blow-back on you, so I left with her. I hate it that you're pissed off, but I'd do it again if I felt it necessary."

Gibbs stared into Tony's eyes; he had always been able to tell when something was bothering his Senior Field Agent. So far, all he could detect was fatigue; there was absolutely no remorse. Gibbs was damn proud of the agent he'd become, but this wasn't something that he could let go of, not yet. He reached over and hit the emergency button again, springing the elevator to life. When he finally spoke, his voice was tired, the exhaustion having finally overtaken the caffeine. "You have an op to finish. We'll discuss the consequences of your actions when you get back."

* * *

The elevator doors opened and Gibbs strode out, leaving Tony in his wake. When he finally stirred himself to follow he found Eve sitting at his desk, apparently napping. He put a hand on her leg to wake her and said, "You sleeping on the job, Evie?"

She opened her eyes and replied, "Please." She paused and took a minute to really look at him, studying the shadows she could see dancing through his expressive green eyes. "You okay?" She asked after a minute.

"I'm fine."

"Well, are you ready to finish this?"

Tony nodded, looking around the bullpen, as if he was memorizing it and the people in it. He met Abby's eyes and was almost undone when hers filled with tears. He looked towards Ducky who gave him a brief, sad nod then looked away. McGee was working on his computer and barely glanced up. Ziva smiled and said, "Shalom, Tony." Finally, he looked to the man he had held up as a father figure. Gibbs met his gaze and held it, his blue eyes boring into Tony's green ones.

After a minute Tony looked away and said, "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's get this thing done." They walked from the bullpen towards the elevator, on their way out of the building.

The rest of the team stood there rooted to their respective positions. Each wondering if that would be the last time they would ever see Tony again.


	8. Relativity

I don't own NCIS. Those lucky, lucky people at CBS do. If I did own it, well I'd get to spend time with Gibbs and the Gang on a regular basis. Thank you for all of your kind words. I read and really appreciate all of them. And now, here's the next chapter in our journey…

Relativity

_Relativity: __The state of being dependent for existence on or determined in nature, value, or quality by relation to something else_

Scrape.

Scrape.

Scrape.

Gibbs took a deep breath and continued to smooth the wood on the boat hull. The time he spent in his basement, working the wood, was usually enough to clear his mind and put him into a Zen state; however, tonight he was finding it difficult to concentrate. No matter what slant he tried to put on the situation, it all boiled down to the fact that he felt betrayed, betrayed by the man he thought of as a son. He understood why Tony hadn't told them, but it didn't keep him from being disappointed in his surrogate son. He wasn't proud of that fact, but there wasn't much he could do about it. DiNozzo's explanation had not satisfied his curiosity, and the Director wasn't being forthcoming. Both of those factors had forced Gibbs to make a phone call, a phone call he had saved as a last resort.

Except for the low drone of the sports highlights coming over the television and the scrape of the sandpaper, the basement was silent as Gibbs worked. He was waiting to hear the floorboards above him creak to alert him that his visitor had arrived. About two hours after he began work he heard the tell-tale sounds alert him that he did in fact have a visitor.

Gibbs lifted his head and peered at the figure making its way down the stairs.

"Hello, Gibbs, don't you ever lock your door?" The voice was cultured with a crisp British accent

"Kort." Gibbs nodded towards the CIA operative who was making his way across the basement, "I've never felt the need to lock it."

"Lots of dangerous types out there; you never know what might happen." Kort paused and stood by the counter, file folder in hand. "I've been expecting your call for days; I'm surprised it took you so long."

"What did you bring me?" Gibbs was curious at the information contained in the folder and was not in the mood to play games.

"I see patience is not your strong suit." Kort gave a smug smile as he continued, "I've brought the mission details. It's eyes only, though." He held out the thick manila folder to Gibbs who put his glasses on before he accepted it.

"_Operation Helios_," He looked again at Kort and asked, "Why don't you give me the Cliff Notes version?"

The CIA agent smirked then replied, "_Helios_ is an assassination program that was begun in 1990 as a response to the success that the drug cartels were having at getting their product into the U.S. Director Maxwell was the agent in charge of the program. He had limited success because all of the operatives that were sent in were compromised before they could make much of an impact. That changed in 1994 when he successfully recruited Eve Dupree to the program."

Gibbs had been listening quietly but turned away long enough to pour two glasses of bourbon and hand one to his companion before asking, "Why her?"

"Her personnel profile is included in the file. Take a glance at it"

Gibbs flipped through the file until he found the pages he wanted. He read it without comment then said, "Solid weapons training, hand-to-hand combat, foreign language skills, Cuban mother, American father… Oh…" Shock at what he had just read stopped him from saying anything else.

"See what I mean?" Kort took a sip of the amber liquid as he watched understanding dawn on the other man's face.

His head was still buried in the file as he continued to read, but Gibbs looked up for confirmation when he said, "Her father ran ops for _Operation Phoenix_ during Vietnam."

Kort nodded then said, "Apparently he and Director Maxwell were partners."

"How did NCIS become involved in _Helios_?"

"Last spring Director Shepherd received some Intel that naval personnel could be involved with a smuggling operation. She came to us with the idea for the joint operation."

"_Jenny_ is responsible for this?!" Gibbs found himself infuriated with her all over again. It wasn't enough that she'd almost gotten Tony killed during that whole obsession with The Frog; now she had sent him off to deal with a drug cartel."

"It was her idea. She came to Maxwell for advice and he promised her the use of our best operative. I know that she briefed Agent Dupree with all of the details she would need regarding DiNozzo, but according to my sources she was killed before he was briefed. Your new director took over the operation, and, well, you know the rest of it."

Gibbs was shocked, of all of the possible answers he thought he might find, Jenny being behind this operation was the one he'd not imagined. Finally he murmured, "That's why he sent Tony off as an Agent Afloat; he was being set up to meet Agent Dupree and begin this Op."

"One more thing you should know, Gibbs."

He looked back up at Kort and replied, "What's that?"

"Eve wants to keep DiNozzo."

"What the hell does that mean, 'keep DiNozzo'?"

"The Director has authorized her to make him an official offer, and, Gibbs, you should be prepared, she always gets what she wants, one way or another."

* * *

It had only been a few days since he'd last been home, but it felt like years. He had talked Eve out of going to a hotel, wanting to see his apartment and assess the damage so he could get any needed repairs scheduled. With a hint of trepidation, Tony opened the door, not really knowing what to expect. The stillness that greeted them was a bit creepy. For some reason he felt like he was stuck in the middle of a horror movie. Once the door swung open he looked around in astonishment. Yes, this was definitely creepy. He had expected to find the place in shambles, fingerprint dust covering every surface, and dried blood everywhere. What he and Eve had found was a freakishly clean apartment with brand new carpeting and not a blood drop in sight. He turned to the woman standing next to him and sputtered, "What the hell…"

"The Agency must have sent a team in here; Cleaners, I guess. Consider it a perk."

He walked from room to room and found each in the same state. "Should I worry that it's been bugged?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Call someone from your team in to check. I doubt there were any listening devices placed though. You've been working with us on this operation. To what purpose would the Agency want to bug you?"

He thought about that for a second then thought about his past dealings with the CIA before he answered, "I'm calling Abby in with her equipment. I guess we'll know for sure then."

* * *

Abby sat in Murphy's Tavern with McGee, Ziva, Ducky and Palmer. She was nursing a beer and sulking over the way that Tony had left the bullpen earlier that day. They were all upset and had spent the better part of the evening discussing the situation and Gibbs' reaction to it. Thus far no one had come up with any answers. She sighed and put her forehead down on the bar; how could this have happened to her family? Her cell phone vibrated next to her, grabbing it she answered, "Hello."

"Hey, Abbs."

"TONY! What's up?"

"Can you come over to my apartment? I need you to look for bugs."

"Shouldn't you call an exterminator for that?"

"_Abbs!_ Not those kind of bugs."

"Oh, _OH!_ Okay, we'll be right over."

"Wait, who's 'we'..."

Abby interrupted, "Bye, Tony. See you in a few minutes." She hung up the telephone and turned to her co-workers. "Come on, we're going to Tony's house."

Tony closed his cell phone and glanced around the room for Eve who was nowhere to be found. He finally looked outside on the patio overlooking the small courtyard below and found her sitting, curled up in his chair, smoking a cigarette. She flicked her eyes up to meet his, the emerald green orbs full of shadows as she contemplated the snow that was beginning to fall. The fluffy, white flakes seemed to fascinate her. She finally said, "I didn't think you'd want me smoking inside the house."

He offered up a small smile of thanks in return then sat in the chair across from her. "Thanks for that. Have you ever thought about quitting?"

She rolled her eyes then replied, "You know, my Mother asks me that same question every time I see her. I'll tell you the same thing I tell her: I only smoke when I'm working. When I don't work, I don't smoke." She put out her cigarette and, being contrary, promptly lit another. She sighed and changed the subject. "Did you call Abby?"

He nodded his head and grinned, remembering his conversation with the Goth scientist. "Yeah I got her; she sounded like she might have been a few beers into her evening. She'll be here soon. I don't know who she's bringing with her, though."

"Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

The evening had flown by. The order had been replaced by chaos, and he was content. Well, now his apartment looked like it was supposed to. Two hours after he had spoken to her, Abby had appeared with McGee, Ziva, Ducky and Palmer in tow. What had followed was an impromptu welcome home party. Each of his teammates had been slightly intoxicated, and so after scanning the apartment and finding no bugs, they had ordered pizza and passed out beer to everyone. Ultimately, everyone had eaten and drank way too much, so Tony had insisted that the lot of them spend the night. Ducky was snoring softly in his recliner, Palmer and McGee had passed out on the floor, and finally, Abby and Ziva had taken up residence on his sofa-bed. Tony walked from where he was straightening up the kitchen into the living room and stood there watching his teammates. They were the closest thing he had to family, and for them to all come over tonight had filled his heart with something he couldn't describe.

He was seriously thinking about the offer the CIA had made, but he hadn't made a decision to accept their offer, not yet anyway. Tony had been in a really dark place ever since Gibbs had come back from Mexico and had taken back the team-leader position without so much as a "thank you" or even "you did a good job". The mission to catch La Grenouille had really screwed up his head. Tony had never been in love, and it was par for the course that he would blow his entire mission by falling in love with his mark. He had been devastated at the end of that affair, and it hadn't helped that no one had really been there in support as he'd tried to deal with the aftershocks.

Jenny's violent, untimely death and his subsequent guilt had been just one more straw piled on his back. He felt like the camel, struggling with the load, just trying to get from one day to the next. Yeah, he'd really been in a dark place, and the one thought that kept going through his mind was that maybe, just maybe he did need a change of scenery. Being an Agent Afloat hadn't been a laugh a minute, but it had at least given him some time and space away to try and clear his head.

Tony sighed and walked down the hallway towards his bedroom. The room was quiet and dark. The only thing disturbing the silence was the rhythmic sound of her breathing as she slept curled up in the middle of his king-sized bed, her face turned towards him. In her sleep she looked young, innocent, and oh so beautiful. He sat on the side of the bed and gently caressed her face causing her to stir slightly.

Eve had reawakened something within him, and he didn't know how or even why she would be the one to do it. All he knew was that she needed him; she had told him as much that afternoon in the seedy motel. They had been lying together, limbs entwined and their hearts racing with the aftermath of their lovemaking. She had looked at him, her heart in her eyes and told him she needed his help. There had been no other choice for him to make when she had asked him like that. He didn't know what the final part of this mission was going to entail, but he knew it was going to be dangerous and that they might not make it back.

He needed to rest if he was going to finish this operation. Tony stripped down to his boxers and climbed in the bed next to her. He lay there for a few minutes, wondering if Gibbs would miss him if he left. For Tony it would be one more new beginning in a lifetime of them, but this time, he would actually be leaving a family behind. His last conscious thought before sleep claimed him was to wonder how he could make things right between himself and the man he looked up to as a father figure.

* * *

Hours after Kort had left, Gibbs was still digesting the information he had read in the CIA's file. He had a nagging feeling in his gut that something was going to go wrong with this operation. He had resolved to speak to Vance about allowing his team to go along as back-up. Tony deserved to have people he trusted watching his six, and Gibbs knew that he would do whatever he had to do to make that happen. He glanced at the clock and realized it was already 0530. He yawned and headed upstairs to make coffee and get ready to head to the office.

When Gibbs arrived at NCIS ninety minutes later he was taken aback to find the Director already waiting for him.

"Good Morning, Special Agent Gibbs. I wanted to talk to you before the rest of your team gets here."

"Okay, Leon. What can I do for you?"

"I heard from Central Intelligence at about 2300 last night. Mendez, the head of the cartel, is coming here to DC to meet with his nephew and the DiSalvos. I know that Maxwell wants Dupree to take this guy out, but I want him taken alive and into custody. We can't let the CIA run an Op on American soil with our knowledge." Vance paused for a moment to unwrap a toothpick to chew on. "I'm setting your team up as back up for DiNozzo. If Dupree makes a move to take the target out I want her arrested too. You make sure that DiNozzo understands that."

Gibbs took a long drink of his coffee to give himself a moment to think about his reply. He wasn't about to tell Vance that the CIA had offered Tony a position. That would move DiNozzo into the category of adversary, and that was not a position wanted Tony in. "Okay, Leon, I'll talk to Tony and make sure he understands how this is supposed to go down, but I'm not going to arrest Agent Dupree if she does something in self-defense."

"Okay Jethro, I'll agree to that, but if she makes a move without provocation, then she gets taken into custody."

"Agreed."

Gibbs turned his head towards the elevator when it dinged its arrival. McGee and Ziva entered the room, but there was no sign of Tony. He sighed, where the hell was DiNozzo now?

* * *

Tony followed Eve into the main lobby at the CIA headquarters in Langley. She paused at the security desk long enough to procure a visitor's badge for him, then they continued on to the private elevator up to the Director's office. They entered the outer office and were waved straight through by the assistant. Director Maxwell was working, sitting at his desk waiting for them to make an appearance.

"Eve, Santos has set the meet up for you and Agent DiNozzo. It's going to take place here in DC. It seems that Mendez was coming to the city to see his nephew, and wants to meet the DiSalvos to talk a little business."

"John, can we operate legally on American soil?"

"Not according to legal. Agent DiNozzo, I want you to take the target into custody. Eve, do not, I repeat do not use lethal force unless your lives are threatened. I don't trust Vance. If Jenny were still alive, I wouldn't worry, but the new director hasn't earned my trust as of yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to arrest you for using lethal force. Both of you watch your asses and be careful."

He paused for a moment and then turned his attention to Tony. "Agent DiNozzo, when this is finished, you and I are going to have a discussion about you coming to work for us here at Central Intelligence."

Tony smiled at the director. He liked the man; he was forthright and wasn't pulling any punches about how the wanted the Op to go down. "I'd like that, Sir, and I'll look forward to it"

Maxwell smiled at the pair. They really did make an effective team. DiNozzo's street smarts and investigative skills combined well with Dupree's ability to read people and her "special skills". If DiNozzo decided to take the job, he'd have the best damn covert team in the intelligence community, bar none. He decided right then that he was going to recruit DiNozzo, one way or another. If NCIS didn't appreciate their asset, well then, the CIA would show him that it was one agency that did appreciate its employees.

"You're both dismissed. Good luck and Godspeed."


	9. Gravity

Okay, the usual disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, unfortunately for me. If I did own them, I'd have more money. You guys have been great with the reviews, suggestions, and questions. You're the reason that I keep updating this story, and I'm so happy that it's been so well received.

Gravity

_Gravity: (a) The natural force of attraction between any two massive bodies, which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.  
__(b) Grave consequence; seriousness or importance.  
(c) Solemnity or dignity of manner.__

* * *

_Tony was in heaven. The CIA's facility at Langley had to be the most fascinating building he had ever seen. It was filled with the mysteries of the universe, and he would know since he had just been given a tour and had met his potential co-workers. The only mar in a perfect morning had been running into Trent Kort. He didn't like that bastard, and it had pissed him off to no end to watch as that smug ass had hugged his partner so familiarly. Well, Eve had more than made up for any attention she had paid Kort when she had taken him into what she called the "gadget lab." He had wanted to rub his hands together and chortle when they had walked into a room filled with researchers and technicians who were hard at work on the tools of their trade. She had wasted no time in getting him set up with his very own, encrypted spy cell phone. Tony had never seen so many fascinating toys in his entire life, and he had made sure he checked out every single one of them before leaving. Oh yeah, the CIA had some really cool shit to play with.

They had been completing their tour by going down to the gymnasium when Eve had been snatched away by her physician who evidently wanted to give her a check up while she had her in the building. Tony found himself leaning against the wall, listening in amusement as his partner argued with the doctor.

Dr. Megan Callaway focused her laser like glare on the pair standing in front of her. She hated it when the time rolled around for Eve Dupree's bi-annual qualifications. The woman was stubborn as a mule. No, wait a second; Dr. Callaway was certain that there were mules less stubborn than the woman standing before her. It was a fight to get her to even come to Langley, and it was a bigger battle to ensure that she had her six-month physical.

What she had seen passing by her office had been distinctly fascinating, and honestly it was what had made her stop the pair strolling down the corridor. Not only was Eve at Langley willingly, but she had brought a friend along. Dr. Callaway had known Agent Dupree for as long as she had been with the Agency, and never seen quite so enamored of anyone, much less a man, whilst she was in the facility. She normally kept everyone at arm's length, so seeing her stroll through the corridor; arm in arm with her visitor was something different, indeed. This anomaly intrigued the doctor, so as she argued with her least favorite patient she studied the tall dark-haired man leaning against the wall. He was definitely interesting. Not only was he amazingly handsome, but he was also not at all intimidated by the atmosphere he found himself in. The doctor found herself giving her grudging approval of this gentleman. She knew the Director was making the recruitment of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo a special project, and he had enlisted her help in getting all of the needed physical exams completed as quickly as possible.

Dr. Callaway was a great physician, and she was also a veteran in dealing with stubborn agents and knew exactly how to get her way. She needed to give the pair a thorough physical, but getting them to comply was not going to be easy. Well, she had two options; first, she would try asking nicely, but when that failed, well, threats were pretty effective too.

"Eve, you haven't been here since your last bi-annual quaifications, and I missed you then. I've got to give you a physical whether you like it or not."

Eve crossed her arms over her chest and stubbornly set her jaw as she shook her head and said, "How 'bout 'not', Doc? The only thing I need from you is a cortisone shot for my knee. Other than that, I'm good, I promise."

Dr. Callaway rolled her eyes then put her hands on her hips as she replied, "I've known you since you came into this program, and in almost 15 years you haven't had a physical that I haven't had to fight you for. Now, if you don't get your ass into my exam room, stat, I'm going right up to the Director's office and I'm telling him to pull you out of the field."

Tony had to fight to keep from grinning as Eve stood there with her mouth open, completely in shock. It was the first time that he'd seen her speechless, and he was enjoying it.

She finally narrowed her eyes and said, "Low blow, bitch. Alright, you get to give me a physical, but you had better double the cortisone for my trouble."

The doctor gave a smirk and watched the other woman enter the doors to the medical wing. She turned her full attention to Tony and said, "You too, Agent DiNozzo. Director Maxwell wants you to get checked out before the two of you head off to this undercover op he's got planned. I have an exam room waiting with your name on it." Tony didn't move immediately, and she finally snapped, "What the hell are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Get your ass in gear!"

Tony looked at her with wide eyes and said, "Yes, Ma'am!" He walked through the same doors Eve had and ultimately found himself sitting in an exam room in nothing but his boxers as the very efficient doctor listened to his heart and lungs, drew what felt like a gallon of blood, and completed a full body scan.

He sighed and watched the doctor out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't said too much other than what was necessary for the physical. Her bedside manner left a lot to be desired, but Tony suspected that she wasn't here because of her winning personality. "So, um, Doctor, you've known Eve since she came here?"

Megan gave an absent nod of her head as she made notes on the chart in her hand. "Yes, I met her on her first day in the program. Although, I only see her when it's time for her quals; Eve only comes to Langley when they force her to." She turned her perceptive gaze on Tony and asked, "Why so curious about her?"

"We're working together, and I just wanted to get to know her better"

"If you have questions, you should really ask her. I can't say anything else."

* * *

Several hours later Tony found himself standing in the elevator at NCIS on his way up to the squad room. He needed to grab a few things from his desk and touch base with Vance before leaving for the meeting. Tony chuckled to himself as he remembered Eve's expression when she had been informed that she couldn't leave without finishing her quals, and he had felt a twinge of sympathy for the agent who was to be her sparring partner.

He had stood, smirking as the petite woman had gone at it tooth and nail with the 6'2" former Army Ranger and had put him on his knees in about ten minutes. After seeing that action, Tony decided he wanted to sell tickets to a cage match between the Mossad Ninja Warrior and the CIA Muay Thai Master. The only catch would be talking Ziva and Eve into not killing each other, which, knowing each woman as he did was so _NOT_ happening. Even though he knew it would be better than _Celebrity Deathmatch_, Tony decided to scrap the idea. He smirked to himself; it was certainly entertaining to imagine.

He exited the elevator and walked over to his desk, picking up and reading his messages rapidly. He wanted to escape without a confrontation with his boss. That hope quickly died when the former sniper used his considerable stealth skills to sneak up behind Tony and snap,

"Nice of you to join us, DiNozzo." Gibbs' gravel tone broke the silence of the bull pen as he stalked over to his desk and sat down, coffee in hand.

Tony gave a glare from the corner of his eye before replying, "I had errands to run this morning, Boss. I _am_ getting ready for a major undercover op."

"Any of those errands take you by Langley?" Gibbs was going for the jugular and was determined to get some kind of admission from his Senior Field Agent.

"I had to get briefed." The response was short and to the point.

"You're my agent. Briefing you is _MY_ job not the CIA's.

Tony almost scoffed aloud at Gibbs' presumption; it took all of his will power not to. He could feel his frustration level rising, though. When the hell did he ever have a 'Sold' sign on his forehead? "Last time I checked, I didn't see your name on my ownership papers."

Ziva and McGee had been trying to ignore the growing tension between the two alpha males in the bull pen, but it was becoming more and more difficult to do with each verbal arrow that was slung.

Gibbs decided he had heard enough, so he said the first thing that came to mind, "Conference room, DiNozzo! NOW!"

Tony nodded his head and calmly walked to the elevator. He knew what was coming, and his boss didn't disappoint. As soon as the doors closed and the emergency button had been pushed he felt it…

_SMACK!_

His head snapped forward and his eyes watered from the sting of the slap. He stood there for a minute and then turned his arctic gaze on Gibbs. "Don't ever do that again, Boss. I'm not your whipping boy anymore."

"What the hell has gotten into you DiNozzo? This girl's got your head so screwed up that you can't see past her to what's going on around you. She's going to get you killed on this op if you're not careful. Now listen to me and listen good. We're going to be on your six tonight. The director wants this guy arrested, not dead. If Agent Dupree makes a move towards the target then she gets put in handcuffs. Do you get me, Tony? I'm not going to let anything happen to you even though you're letting her lead you around by your dick."

Gibbs watched DiNozzo, hoping for some glib response. Tony just stood there, his eyes were hard. He hadn't reacted to anything that had been said, so Gibbs repeated, DID. I. MAKE. MYSELF. CLEAR. DINOZZO?"

"Crystal, Boss. Arrest Mendez and my partner too, if she makes a move towards the drug trafficker. Makes a lot of sense, yeah, I get it. We done here?"

Gibbs inclined his head and replied, "Yeah, we're done. McGee will be setting up surveillance; Ziva and I will be standing by to make the arrest. Don't try to be a hero, Tony. I don't want to lose you to a piece of shit drug smuggler. Everyone comes home from this Op. We'll work out the rest later."

Tony gave Gibbs a look he couldn't decipher. He could normally read his Senior Field Agent like a book, but spending time with that spy had put an additional and unnecessary polish on Tony's already considerable talent in masking his emotions. "Where's your head at? You gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry about me; my head is firmly in the here and now. I'm just getting into character for tonight. I'm serious about the other, though. I want a little respect from you. I think, after all these years, I've earned at least that."

Gibbs gave an almost indecipherable nod of his head as he reached across and turned the elevator back on. "Remember, I've never lost an agent undercover yet. Don't screw that up."

"Gotcha, don't screw up. I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

The elevator doors opened again and Tony walked out without saying another word. He reached his desk and picked up his pack and messages then turned and headed for the stairs.

* * *

Eve lay dozing on the king sized bed in Tony's apartment. They had arranged to meet there to prepare for their meeting with Mendez and whomever he decided to bring. She had finished her bi-annual quals, and felt like she had been put through the ringer. Every muscle in her body was sore, and she had a huge bruise forming on her ribcage courtesy of a lucky punch thrown by the Army Ranger she'd sparred with earlier. What the hell had John been thinking to insist that she finish those before she finished the op, but then again, he knew that once she finished the op she was heading south again until the next time they forced her to come north.

She wrapped her arms around the pillow on his side of the bed and snuggled deeper into the cashmere sweater she had stolen from his bureau. The soft, supple material smelled like Tony's aftershave, a rich, tangy, clean scent that Eve found incredibly soothing. As she lay there resting she found herself wondering what life would be like if she wasn't a spy who lied for a living. She hadn't had thoughts like that in years, had actually put them out of her mind permanently after she finished her training, but there was something about Tony that made her think about life away from the Agency.

How to get him to accept the offer John was going to make? She wanted him to accept, she just wasn't sure what to do to accomplish her goal. If he did accept then she would need to stay in Washington whilst he completed the mandatory training. She would be at Langley for six months at the bare minimum. She sighed to herself. At least she'd get a chance to visit her parents and maybe see her brother if he managed to make it home from Iraq.

Tony unlocked the door and entered the apartment as quietly as possible. He knew Eve was here; the scent of jasmine was unique to her, and he had smelled it as soon as he walked in the room. He crept down the hall and found her asleep in his bed, curled up on her side, arms wrapped around his pillow. He sat down on the edge of the bed; her eyes opened as soon as his weight shifted the mattress.

"How'd your quals go?"

"I passed, but I feel like hell. How'd it go at NCIS?"

"Gibbs ordered me to arrest you if you make a move on Mendez. He also reminded me to not screw up."

She sighed and sat up, locking eyes with him as she did. Her emerald eyes were dark and full of shadows. "We knew that was coming. I won't do anything unless our lives are in danger. I won't put you in that position, no matter how much I want this bastard dead; I promise you that. I trust you to make sure that justice is done."

Tony's mind focused on three of the words that she had said, 'I trust you.' He smiled his thanks, she trusted him even if Gibbs didn't seem to. "I trust you to watch my back, Evie. My team will be there, but you're the one in the lion's den with me."

"We better get ready. We don't want to keep the Romans waiting."

* * *

Gibbs found himself walking through the doors to autopsy. He always came to Ducky when he was uncertain or needed advice. He found the medical examiner standing over his latest customer, speaking softly as he worked.

The Senior Agent paced the room but said nothing. Ducky finally tired of his silence and asked, "Did you come here with a specific purpose, Jethro?"

"What hold does she have over him, Duck. I tried to talk to him this morning, and got nowhere."

"Did you talk to him or at him? Anthony hasn't been himself for quite some time now. I've noticed that he is much more somber than he used to be. I worry he hasn't recovered from his disastrous undercover mission and Director Shepherd's death. He is still blaming himself for all of it. If you're not careful he will leave here in an attempt to run from the memories; don't forget, that's part of the reason he came to us in the first place."

"You know I'm not good at expressing my feelings. I've never been good at it. Shannon used to get so frustrated with me. I loved her and Kelly more than life itself, and I still had a hard time saying it. What do you expect me to do here, Ducky?"

The gentle Scotsman looked at Gibbs and shook his head. Obviously Gibbs cared about Tony, just as Tony cared about Gibbs. They were both just too stubborn to admit it.

"Jethro, just speak from your heart. Telling Anthony that you care about him may make the difference between him staying or possibly leaving. It's difficult I know, but Tony looks to you as his father-figure. Hearing that you think of him as a son will make all the difference."

* * *

Eve and Tony walked out the door from his apartment towards the waiting limo. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her outfit since she'd finished dressing. "May I say that you look just like Angelina Jolie in that. You know, the way she looked in the first 'Tomb Raider' movie."

"Okay. I assume that's a good thing."

"Oh yeah, very hot."

She gave a predatory smile at his comment and replied, "Flattery will get you everywhere; just wait until we're done tonight."

The driver opened the door to the limo and they both entered the car. Their driver and the pair of guards nodded to the couple. Only when the car was moving did the Tony speak to their companions. "Okay, Kort, I assume that you have a damn good reason for being here with us."

"Hello, DiNozzo. My director wanted me on the scene just as yours wanted your team here. I'm here to make sure that nothing happens to Agent Dupree since your director wants her arrested."

Eve bristled at the implication and gave Gibbs and Ziva a very cold stare. "No one's arresting me tonight."

Kort met her eyes from the rear-view window and nodded, "No, Eve, no they're not."

Gibbs handed both agents an earwig receiver. "Take these, we'll be able to hear when to come in and make the arrest. Are you both wearing vests?"

Both Eve and Tony shook their heads. "Boss, they're going to search us. If we're wearing vests, that'll kind of give it all away."

The car pulled up to the designated warehouse and stopped. Kort opened the car door, giving Eve a brief squeeze on the arm. "Be careful, love. I'll be here if anything goes down."

She nodded her head and reached out and grasped Tony's hand in hers. He looked down into her emerald green eyes and smiled. She took a deep breath to center herself, and the two of them walked off hand in hand towards the warehouse doors.

Gibbs and Ziva stood at the car watching, but neither they nor Kort saw Eve and Tony remove their receivers and drop them on the ground. All they saw was the warehouse doors closing behind them as they entered the lion's den.


	10. Absolute Zero

Okay, the usual disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, unfortunately for me. If I did own them, I'd really enjoy getting to know the gang much better. I probably should apologize. I seem to have written Tony a bit angrier than necessary, but I'm mad on his behalf. I hate the way he's been treated this season, and I wish he'd tell the lot of them to kiss off. Anyway, thanks for all of the positive reviews and suggestions. I really do appreciate them. Sorry this took so long to get to you, Real Life has been a bear lately, but here it is, the next chapter of our journey.

Absolute Zero

_Absolute Zero: the lowest possible state at which matter can exist __

* * *

_Tim McGee was in his element. He and his computer equipment were set up in the black NCIS van parked nearby the waterfront warehouses. He was accompanied by Ducky who was brought his medical bag as well as an additional first-aid kit, just in case it was needed. Tim punched a few buttons on his keyboard and all of the screens showed the action taking place inside the warehouse. He spoke into his headset, "Boss, we've got video, but no audio. Did you give Tony and Agent Dupree their earwigs?"

"Yeah, we should be good to go, what are you seeing?"

"Wait a sec, okay, there they are. They just entered the warehouse. I can see the target; he has four armed bodyguards with him… Damn! Tony and Agent Dupree are being searched and scanned for bugs. They didn't find the earwigs. Wait, why didn't they find them?"

"I don't know, McGee, maybe because they dropped them going in the door? What else do you see?"

"Everything looks casual. They're sitting around a table talking. It looks like Tony is lighting a cigarette for Agent Dupree…"

McGee froze for a second when the audio suddenly kicked in. Suddenly all of the action taking place in the warehouse became shockingly real as the voices in his headset took over.

* * *

Tony grabbed the lighter that Eve had tucked inside his jacket before leaving his apartment. "Can I light that for you, Sweetheart?"

Eve turned doe eyes to Tony and gave imperceptible wink, "Thank you, my love." He lit her cigarette and replaced the lighter in his jacket pocket. As soon as he had struck the flint, the lighter's internal mechanism has activated the microphone hidden inside by the techs in the "Gadget Lab."

She inhaled on the cigarette and leaned back in her chair. "Well, shall we get down to business?"

* * *

Kort looked over to Gibbs and gave a smirk. "She knew they'd get searched going in and discarded the devices. You should really give her more credit; this is not her first time at this, you know."

Gibbs and Ziva were all business as the monitored the conversation that McGee was feeding. Things seemed to be going smoothly, but as in all undercover operations, that was subject to change at any moment. Ziva narrowed her eyes in concentration as she listened, "I do not think that the target is in the warehouse."

Gibbs nodded in agreement as he continued to monitor the transmission. He had almost forgotten just how good DiNozzo was when he was undercover. There was no tell, no hesitation in anything that he said during the conversation. Tony was a natural at playing make-believe, and as much as it grieved Gibbs to admit it, he and Eve Dupree made a good team, playing off each other as they worked the men in the warehouse.

In the background they could hear another door opening; McGee piped in on the headsets, "Boss, we have another player entering the room."

* * *

Jorge Mendez was a tall muscular man in his late fifties with jet black hair cut in military fashion and hard eyes the color of onyx. He was exquisitely dressed in a grey, three-piece suit with a silk tie. He eyed Tony and Eve as they sat confidently at the table making small talk with the rest of the entourage. After a thorough inspection he finally said, "So, you are the DiSalvos. My nephew has told me many good things about you. I was hoping he'd be here, but your Navy has sent him overseas for an extended period. It's unfortunate, but his success leads to our success. I am happy to meet with you, so tell me what can our organization do for you?"

"My wife and I are interested in purchasing major weight."

"How much do you want?"

"We want 1000 keys, minimum. Can you do it?"

"We can handle that. Price?"

Tony nodded his head to Eve who smiled and took another drag on her cigarette before replying, "Two thousand per key."

Mendez shook his head, "Too low. Four."

"Three and not a penny more."

The Colombian locked eyes with Eve and stared at her as if he were hoping the eye contact would intimidate her and make her change her mind. She refused to blink or acknowledge that Tony was sitting next to her, squeezing her hand in an almost painful reminder to not be too confrontational.

Finally, Mendez smiled and laughed heartily. Looking pointedly at Tony he said, "Your wife has spirit. I admire that in a woman; you're a lucky man, beauty and brains. Three thousand it is. Can you get that much cash in such a short time? I wish to conclude our business and return to Cartagena tomorrow."

Tony gave a careless shrug of his shoulders and airily said, "Money is easy. Where and when do you want to meet to make the exchange?"

"We will meet here again nine o'clock tomorrow morning. If this transaction goes well then there will be many more. Trust is something I value in my business dealings, but tomorrow will be the last time we meet in person. Please don't take it as an insult, but I do not come to this country very often, preferring to stay at my home in Colombia. We will see you at our next meeting."

Tony and Eve both shook his hand and backed away from the table in a slow, confident manner. Quickly they made it to the door and out into the crisp, cold evening air. They walked over to the car before Tony removed the lighter from his pocket and turned the bug off.

Once they were all in the car and on the road again he gave a bright smile and looked directly at Gibbs when he said, "Well, we're set up to make an exchange. We can get them dead to rights with the product and the money."

Gibbs took a deep breath and released it slowly, relieved that this first part was concluded. He still had an uneasy feeling in his gut about the entire operation. "That's good work, Tony. Now, how do you recommend we get our hands on three million dollars this late at night?"

Kort turned his gaze from the road and said, "I'll handle that. Let me call the Director and set something up."

* * *

For the second time that day Tony found himself at Langley, but this time he was accompanied by his team. He found himself standing at the guard's desk trying to get them clearance to enter the building. As soon as they had arrived, Eve had grabbed Kort by the arm and had pulled him towards the bank of elevators. He had protested, but had finally acquiesced, leaving Tony to lead everyone else upstairs. Fortunately, the same guard from that morning recognized him and immediately called Director Maxwell's office for permission for the NCIS team to enter.

As he led them down the corridors of Langley it had quickly become apparent to Gibbs that Tony had indeed been there, if the reaction of the employees was any indication. Nearly every person they had encountered had greeted Tony in such a familiar fashion that it had begun to set the former marine's teeth on edge. "Made some new friends, eh, DiNozzo?"

Tony threw a wary gaze towards Gibbs before quipping, "Well, Ya know, I'm just a friendly guy."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and followed Tony to the Director's office. They all sat in chairs outside the door, waiting, but cognizant of the discussion taking place inside the large office. The voices in the adjoining room continued to rise, and they heard Eve's voice through the door as she finally said, "Read him in, now or I'm out. Tony has a right to know exactly what he's getting into before we go in tomorrow morning."

Tony cast his gaze over his team mates as they listened to the conversation with growing concern.

"Be reasonable, love, why would you want him to know all of it?" Kort's cultured tones filtered through the door as he attempted unsuccessfully to calm the situation.

"I'm not your goddamned love. Don't you even try that bullshit with me. Unlike you, Tony has never screwed me over, and I won't ruin our partnership by letting him go into this blind. Who the hell are you to lecture me on keeping secrets when you took my file out of this building and let Agent Gibbs see it?"

Tony's eyes moved to his supervisor, and he asked the silent question, and Gibbs returned his gaze with an unrepentant stare of his own as they continued to listen.

What are you talking about, Agent Dupree?" Director Maxwell cut in finally after listening to that last comment with concern.

"My father's office called me today. It seems that the file for _Operation Helios _left Langley yesterday. Trent, are you insane? Do you think that you could do something like that without someone finding out? Screw this, I'm reading Tony in. If you don't like it or don't agree then you can fire me tomorrow!"

The office door opened suddenly and Eve stormed out. She stood next to Tony, her anger still radiating off in waves as she said, "I need to talk to you. Would you come with me please?"

Gibbs decided that he'd had enough of this little drama and grabbed Eve by the arm intending to make her stand down. She froze in place, and he watched the emotion drain out of her eyes in a millisecond. They became cold as ice, as she said quietly, "Agent Gibbs, you have five seconds to remove your hand from my person before it becomes a problem. Now, that's four more than I usually give, and you're only getting that because of Tony. Five, four, three…"

Gibbs let her go, having decided that he didn't want to provoke a fight on enemy territory. "DiNozzo, you can walk away from this op right now. You don't have to do this. Do you really trust her that much?"

Tony considered his options for a couple of seconds before he looked at Gibbs and said, "Yeah, I do. She's never lied to me or used me. Can you say the same?"

Gibbs felt that shot hit him right in the stomach; it took his breath away as it landed. Tony had always known exactly which buttons to push, and had an uncanny way of doing it. Gibbs knew that his subordinate had never really gotten over being used during the mole incident. He decided that he was reaping what he had sown with Tony and decided that somehow he had to find a way to make things right between them.

Tony reached out to Eve and said, "Let's go, you can read me in on the way home."

Director Maxwell stepped out of his office and stopped the pair. "Wait, I need a word with the two of you before you go."

They turned to enter the director's office, passing Kort on his way out. Tony glanced at him and said, "Please tell me you never slept with him."

Eve snorted in amusement and as the door closed behind them they heard her say, "Once, about ten years ago. Don't worry, it wasn't very memorable..."

Whatever else she had to say was lost. Gibbs turned around and looked at Kort and asked, "How the hell did she find out about the file?"

"I assume her father called her."

"How would he know?"

Kort took a deep breath before cryptically replying, "He has his ways." He turned and left the room without another word.

Ziva finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind, "Gibbs, do you know who her father is?"

That was the one question that he hadn't wanted to hear, but he felt that Ziva deserved a truthful response. "Yeah, I do." He sat down on the plush sofa to await DiNozzo's return and wished desperately for a huge cup of coffee before finally replying, "He's General Hamilton Dupree; he handles covert ops for the Corp. He has offices in the Pentagon."

Ziva's eyes widened and she said, "My father knows him well. He has spent much time in Tel Aviv; I believe that I met him once. All three team members fell silent, thinking about the implications of that statement. The office door opened suddenly. They watched Tony turn and shake hands with John Maxwell and say "Thank you, sir. I'll be in touch with you soon."

"I'll look forward to hearing from you, Anthony. Good luck to both of you."

Eve smiled at her boss and said, "Thanks, John; we won't let you down on this. I'll pick up the briefcase from Kort. I won't kill him, I promise." Her jaw tightened as she muttered under her breath, "Not tonight anyway."

Tony looked at his coworkers who were watching him with uncertain eyes. "Let's go. We've got an early morning ahead of us"

* * *

Gibbs watched DiNozzo through the rear-view mirror as he drove the pair to Tony's apartment. He sighed to himself as he tried to formulate something to say. He knew that he needed to make things right between himself and DiNozzo, but even with Ducky's coaching he still wasn't sure what it should be. His eyes again went to the pair sitting in the backseat. Eve had fallen asleep with her head pillowed on Tony's chest, his arm around her shoulders. Gibbs realized that they were as alone as they were ever going to get, so he decided to bite the bullet and try to talk to his Senior Field Agent.

"He make you a job offer back there?"

Tony's eyes widened in surprise, but he still considered his response carefully before replying, "What if he did, what's it to you, Gibbs? You don't need me; you treat McGee and Ziva with more respect. Maybe it's time for me to move on where my skills will be appreciated."

"DiNozzo, do you think I spent all this time breaking you in to lose you to the spook factory? Hell no I didn't! You're my second in command. I need your input and I need you to keep me honest. I can't lose you to another agency."

"Thanks for saying that. I really do appreciate hearing it, but it's a lot to take in at one time, Boss. I'll think about it before I make any final decisions; I promise."

Gibbs nodded and replied, "That's all I ask, Tony; that's all I ask."

* * *

Hours after Gibbs dropped them off, Tony woke from a sound sleep to find himself alone in the bed. He slowly climbed out from under the warm comforter and pulled a robe over his nakedness before heading down the hall to look for her. He realized that he was alone in the apartment before stepping out into the freezing cold deck to find her shivering in only his sweater as she smoked a cigarette.

"What the hell are you doing out here? It's freezing?"

"You know what, Tony? You have a real talent for stating the obvious."

"It's too cold for you to be out here undressed, come inside. You can smoke in the house if you promise me you'll be careful."

She rolled her eyes but held out her hand for him to pull her out of the chair she had curled into in a vain attempt to keep warm. "Can I ask you something?"

He led her inside the warm apartment and settled them both on the sofa before quietly replying, "You can ask me anything. What do you want to know?"

"Why haven't you ever asked me why I do what I do?" She refused to meet his eyes, looking down at her cigarette.

"I figured you'd tell me, if you wanted me to know. I assumed it had something to do with duty or patriotism."

"You'd be wrong if you figured that."

"How so?"

"Revenge, Tony pure and simple revenge. That's why I started this, and it's why you need to know."

He hugged her close to his side and rested his chin on her head. "Then tell me."

She took a deep breath, drawing on her emotional reserves before beginning, "When I was a child I was an Olympic caliber gymnast; I was even an alternate on the 1988 national team. Since my father was in the military, I lived with my coach in Los Angeles and trained year-round." She paused for a second then said, "Bear with me, this will all make sense in a minute. I wrecked my knee the spring I turned sixteen and had reconstructive surgery. My father was stationed in Germany at the time, so while I was recovering I lived with my grandparents at the house on Calle Ocho. They had a great restaurant in the neighborhood, and I spent a lot of time there with them. That summer the Cartagena cartel sent an enforcer into the restaurant looking for one of their Cuban rivals. There was a shootout and both of my Grandparents were killed in the crossfire. One of the shooters was Jorge Mendez; he was the enforcer for the head of the cartel, and took over after his mentor died a few years later."

Tony was speechless, but gathered himself enough to ask "Were you in the restaurant when it happened?"

She didn't answer for the longest time, finally he felt her nod her head before she whispered, "Yes." She started to shake but took a deep breath and finished, "I was there. I saw them and they saw me. The police came before they could kill me too. My parents were there by the next day and I was in Germany two days after that. Four years later I joined the agency with one goal in mind, to find the men who killed my grandparents and get revenge. John took me under his wing, trained me, and sent me out there to do my work. It's taken me almost fifteen years to find Mendez again and get close enough to him to finish it."

Tony pulled her into his lap and hugged her tight to his chest. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Tony, there's a good chance Mendez recognized me today. You needed to know before we go in there in the morning. I want revenge, but I won't risk your life to get it. If you want to walk away I understand and I don't blame you. I should have told you a long time ago, but until I saw him today I wasn't sure it was really him."

He sat there for a good ten minutes thinking about his options before he asked, "Have you been playing me all this time to get my help?"

"Maybe I was at first, when I met you in Cartagena last summer, but Tony, not now. You're important to me, probably too important since I'm sitting here spilling my guts to you."

"Then I'm in, all the way, Evie. We're partners till the end." He twined his fingers with hers as they sat there on the couch watching the pale morning sun slowly come through the windows.


	11. The River

Okay, the usual disclaimer: I don't own NCIS the lucky stiffs at CBS have that honor. If I owned them then Tony would get a whole lot more respect than he currently does and Jenny Shepherd would not be dead. Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry I haven't replied to each and every one of you, but life just keeps kicking me. I really do appreciate all of them! Well, we have almost made it to the end of the line, here it is, the showdown…

The River

_The __**river card**__ is the final card dealt in a poker hand, to be followed by a final round of betting and, if necessary, a showdown. The river can change the fortune of a game by delivering one player a card which they need to beat another player's already completed hand.  
__

* * *

_Tony sat at his kitchen table, his attention seemingly focused on the coffee cup sitting before him. 0700 seemed to come earlier and earlier these days especially when he'd spent what felt like half the night on the sofa with Eve, getting the facts about this operation. He was also waiting to hear from Gibbs about the pick-up time for this morning's meeting. While he sat there expecting his boss' call he thought about all of the things that Eve had told him earlier. She had certainly given him food for thought with her story, but he had been serious about what he'd said. He was in this until the mission was finished. She could have let him go in blind and not told him anything. She told him the truth; he respected that.

He also had to decide about the job offer from the CIA. Director Maxwell had made him a very generous offer, commensurate with the risk that he would be taking if he accepted the position. The fly in the ointment was the very thought of leaving his NCIS family. Sure they were dysfunctional, but he cared about each and every one of his teammates. He wanted to talk to Gibbs about it, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject without the two of them getting into yet another argument. He sighed to himself and focused on his forgotten cup. The coffee had long since gone cold, and Tony grimaced at the taste.

He didn't hear her slip into the room behind him, and since she wore no perfume his keen sense of smell didn't clue him to her presence until she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on the top of his head. "Has Gibbs called you yet?"

"No. I expect him to anytime now. You ready to go?"

"Almost, I've got to put my weapons on. You?"

"Just gotta get my Sig…" The phone interrupted his train of thought. He snapped the cell phone open and answered, "DiNozzo. Yeah, Boss, we're ready; we'll see you in a few. Okay… Yeah, I got that… Wait a sec; let me see who's at the door…"

Tony walked over to the door after hearing the knock; He peered through the peephole and only saw Mr. Callahan his neighbor from across the hall so he opened the door saying, "Good Morning, what's up…"

He barely registered the elderly man being pushed inside the door before he felt something heavy slam into his head. All he could manage to get out was, "Oh Crap!" Just before his vision went dark.

* * *

At NCIS, Gibbs was trying to give Tony the pertinent details about this morning's pick up when his Senior Field Agent went to answer a knock on the door. He heard Tony speak to his neighbor then a thud, and finally silence. "DiNozzo, you okay? Tony? TONY! Hold on, Son, we're coming!" He ran for the elevator, yelling for McGee and Ziva to grab their gear.

* * *

Eve was cornered, the action at the door had taken place too quickly for her to react in any proactive manner, so she felt her best bet was to act as helpless as possible until she could ascertain what injuries Tony had received. In addition, her instincts were screaming that he would end up with a bullet in his brain if she even attempted to fight back; she felt trapped by her tie to him. She eyeballed what she ascertained to be the leader of this group and he didn't disappoint her when he said,

"Come with us quietly, Mrs. DiSalvo or we'll kill your husband."

Eve made herself look terrified, though at the moment it wasn't much of a stretch since Tony was so silent and hadn't moved yet. She gave a brief nod, so one of the four men walked over and grabbed her arms, roughly dragging them behind her back before snapping a pair of handcuffs on. The next thing she felt was a sting as a needle entered her neck, then nothing as darkness overcame her.

* * *

Fear and adrenaline were warring for control as Gibbs raced through the streets taking no heed of any traffic laws as he drove to Tony's apartment. He had known from the beginning that this op was going to go bad, and he knew, just knew, that whatever had happened this morning had been connected to the Colombians. They made the twenty minute drive in just under ten and ran into the building. They all drew their guns and carefully entered the apartment finding it empty except for the body of Tony's elderly next door neighbor. A quick check of his vitals found him still clinging to life in spite of the bullet wound to his neck. McGee hurriedly called for an ambulance, and then turned and looked at Gibbs and asked,

"Where's Tony, Boss?"

"How the hell should I know? It looks like he and Agent Dupree were taken from here by force. We need to collect any evidence, starting with a sample of that blood by the door. I'd be willing to bet that Abby will match it to DiNozzo. We also better hope that witness can give us something."

Gibbs stood there; he was worried, in fact the emotion rushing through his system was almost enough to make him drop to his knees as he wondered just what the hell had happened to Tony. He motioned for McGee to get his kit. Tim knew without some evidence that there would be no leads, so he turned and began the painstaking process of collecting evidence while Ziva let the paramedics into the apartment.

* * *

Pain, white hot and scalding, drug Tony back to the here and now. He realized that his hands were cuffed behind him and that he was back to back with Eve who was also cuffed. He had another concussion if the throbbing behind his eyes was any indication, and he could feel dried blood on the side of his face. He was a bit concerned that he hadn't heard Eve make a sound, so he leaned back carefully and tried to nudge her with his shoulders.

"Hey, you okay, Evie?"

A low moan was his only answer as she slowly began to move. "_Jesus Christ_! What the hell did they shoot into me? I feel like I have an elephant dancing on my skull. What about you? Are you injured?"

"I think I have a concussion, my head was bleeding, but I'm still here. Just what the hell happened this morning?"

"I have no idea. My first thought was that Mendez had recognized me, but when they grabbed me they referred to me as Mrs. DiSalvo. I'm clueless as to what is actually going on here."

They weren't to have long to wonder as the door opened and the man in question walked in followed by two bodyguards. "Well, well, it seems that you have both awakened. I thought I explained how much I value trust in my business dealings. Well, imagine my surprise last night when I get a fax from my organization in Cartagena and see a picture of your husband on the _USS Seahawk _last summer. Tell me, Mr. DiSalvo, or, wait a minute, is it Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo?"

Both Tony and Eve stared at the Colombian in wide eyed surprise. _This_ was definitely an unexpected development.

He turned on his heel as if to leave the room, but threw over his shoulder, "You have until we reach our destination to tell me where my nephew is. If you don't, well, then you'll wish I had _only_ killed you." The door slammed behind him as he left.

Eve leaned her head back onto Tony's broad shoulders and sighed, "Well, so much for staying ahead of that damn horse. It looks like it's going to run right over us."

Tony had been thinking about the ramifications of Mendez's last statement and finally asked, "Does he mean what I think he means?"

Eve gave another deep sigh and said, "Yes, he means exactly what you think he means. If we don't give up his nephew then he's going to torture us to death. Not exactly how I planned to spend the day, so hold on a second…"

Tony heard her rustling around. "Please tell me you know how to pick the lock on these cuffs."

She chuckled and replied, "Yeah I do, but I don't have anything to use. I have another idea though. Remember I told you I was a gymnast? Well the funny thing about doing that is you end up with a whole host of interesting injuries. For example, I dislocated my thumb when I was 13, and now…" Tony suddenly heard a sickening sound then she said, "I can pop it out whenever I want."

"What the hell was that?!"

She took a deep breath and replied, "That was me dislocating my thumb so I can slip my hand out of these damn cuffs."

She freed herself then took another deep breath and popped her thumb back in place. "God, that hurts!" She knelt down and pulled a pin from her hair. She had his hands free a few seconds later.

Tony very gratefully stood up and began to reconnoiter the room they were trapped in. "Shit! You do realize we're on a boat!"

"Well this just gets better and better." She unzipped her boot and pulled out a knife. She pushed a button and a six-inch stiletto blade snapped open. "At least they didn't find this one when they searched me. We're not unarmed anymore."

Tony did a double take and exclaimed, "Jesus, Woman! How many knives do you carry?"

"This one is my good luck knife. My dad gave it to me when I went to college. Do you have your belt knife?"

Tony unbuckled his belt and pulled the knife from it. "Yeah, they missed it, too."

Eve made a derisive sound and said, "Amateurs! Let's go."

They walked to the door and found it unlocked. Quietly they crept out into the hallway of the small yacht.

* * *

Gibbs had finally left the bullpen in search of coffee. His team was frantically trying to find some way to find Tony and Eve. McGee was trying desperately to get any footage from the security cameras outside Tony's apartment building. He had managed to pull a plate which Ziva was running. Abby and Ducky had been in and out of the room, she in tears and Ducky trying to console her as they waited for any news.

Gibbs came storming back into the room. "Alright, what have we got?

McGee spoke up, "Ah, Boss, I managed to get a tag off of the car that Tony and Agent Dupree were taken in. Ziva has been running it."

Gibbs turned to Ziva who said, "The vehicle is a rental. The rental company installed GPS in all of their vehicles. They are sending us the information we will need to access the GPS unit in the car."

"Okay, have them send the information to McGee's laptop. Get you gear. We're going back to Tony's apartment and retrace our steps." He glanced around the room, no one was moving so he yelled, "Grab your damn gear! We've got two agents to find!"

* * *

Tony was following Eve as she slowly made her way down the narrow hallway. She saw movement up ahead and ducked into a small bathroom, dragging Tony with her. There was barely enough room for the two of them in the small room, and his body had hers pressed up against the wall. She pulled his head down and whispered in his ear, "I want to get off this damn boat. There are two targets up ahead of us. Are you ready?"

He nodded and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Let's roll."

What he saw in the next few minutes made him realize that she was indeed a remorseless killer. She slipped up behind the first guard and, with a quick jab, took him out by stabbing him in the kidney, severing the renal artery. The second guard turned and saw her there. He smiled and pulled out a vicious looking knife and slowly moved towards her. She turned eyes devoid of any feeling towards her opponent and dropped into a crouch. As the large man got close enough to attack she began to slash viciously with her weapon. Tony was speechless as he watched the battle and made sure no other guards managed to sneak in. He almost wanted to intervene and stop the bloodshed but knew that these men would kill them without a second thought. The guard looked smug as he got close enough to grab at Eve, but realized too late that she actually wanted him that close. As he attempted to grab her she suddenly stabbed him in the leg, twisting the blade. Blood began to run in rivers as his femoral artery was sliced in two.

Tony immediately grabbed the handguns from both bodies and picked up a dropped cell phone. He handed her one of the guns then said, "I'm calling Gibbs. They can trace the GPS in this phone. When we get out of here you've gotta tell me where the hell you learned to do _that" _He motioned to the two bodies lying in pools of their own blood.

Eve took a deep breath and smiled. "My father taught me. It's _Mantas Daga, _you know, Filipino knife fighting. He wanted me to be able to protect myself after what happened at the restaurant. If you want to learn, I'll teach you after we get out of here."

Tony flipped the phone open and dialed a familiar number. A couple of rings later he heard welcome voice say, "Gibbs."

* * *

The ringing of his cell phone distracted Gibbs from the road. He snapped open the phone and answered, "Gibbs."

"Boss." Tony was in a hurry and was whispering to avoid detection.

"Tony! Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I don't have a lot of time. Trace this call. We're on a boat. I don't know exactly where we are, but it looks suspiciously like we're still in the Potomac."

Gibbs could hear McGee beginning a trace on the call; his fingers flying over the keyboard. Finally he turned and said, "I've got them, they're south of Quantico. We're gonna need a helicopter."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief and said into the phone, "Sit tight, Tony. We're coming to get you."

"We'll try, but we're outnumbered and Mendez wants his nephew released. I've gotta go, boss, someone's coming."

The phone went dead in his hand, and he turned to his agents and shouted, "Get me a damn helicopter!"

* * *

Tony left the phone on and dropped it in his pocket. "Let's get to the deck and get off this god forsaken boat!"

Eve flashed a smile and they headed towards the stairs. They got as far as the top deck when they ran right into Mendez and his four bodyguards.

Tony quickly raised his weapon and shot, double tapping one of the guards in the chest and hitting another in the neck. He stopped only when one of the other body guards raised an assault rifle and pointed it directly at Eve and him.

Mendez frowned darkly. You are becoming more trouble than you are worth. I must say, "Agent DiNozzo, you never cease to amaze me." He cast an appraising stare upon Eve then stated, "I know you, don't I, my dear?"

She refused to acknowledge his question. Tony instead asked, "You a betting man, Mr. Mendez?"

The Colombian gave a sly smile and replied, "I am, and I bet that your odds of getting off this boat alive are very slim, indeed."

Tony nodded his head, his eyes murderous when he said, "Okay, I'll call that bet. Here comes the river."

One of the guards pulled out his gun and fired a shot at Eve, who was standing closest to him. Tony grabbed her and pulled her behind him, taking the bullet directly in his chest. He slumped to the deck, bleeding and gasping for air.

Eve collapsed beside him, pulled down by his weight, "TONY!" She screamed his name then turned a killing gaze to Mendez. "You bastard!" She pressed her hands directly onto the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She waited until the remaining two guards came close enough to try and drag her away from Tony then raised the Glock that he had handed her just a few minutes before. She fired a shot into both of the guard's foreheads then turned her attention to Mendez.

She stood, slowly, menacingly and stalked him across the deck. "You asked earlier if you knew me. I just thought I'd remind you. Remember eighteen years ago, Little Havana. You killed my grandparents in the middle of their restaurant. I've been looking for you. Now it's your turn…"

Mendez looked surprised as the memory of her sixteen year old face manifested itself inside his head. Suddenly seeing his own death clearly in her stormy, green eyes he quickly raised his gun and got off a shot, catching her in her side. Eve gasped at the sudden onset of pain but not before raising her own gun and firing three quick shots. Mendez crumpled to the deck, his lifeless eyes staring sightlessly at the sky as a helicopter made its way overhead.

Eve fell to her knees and crawled over to where Tony lay. His eyes were glazed with pain as she collapsed next to him, blood pooling around her body. "Tony, are you with me?" Tears began to leak from her eyes and fall like rain as he gasped for air.

"I'm… with… you…"

* * *

Gibbs' gut was churning. They had finally found the boat, and the Coast Guard helicopter hovered over the deck as he scrambled down a ladder to the deck. There were bodies everywhere, but he ignored all of them and ran directly to where Tony and Eve were lying on the deck.

"Christ!" He called up to the pilot to send down a basket for the wounded and then he dropped to his knees beside Tony. Gibbs tore off his jacket and pressed it onto Tony's wound, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood. "Hold on, son, the medics will be here in a second."

Tony slowly dragged his eyelids up. He wasn't hallucinating, Gibbs was there. All was right in the world, finally. Painfully he forced the words out, "Knew… you'd… come, Boss." Breathing was agony, but he kept trying to drag air into his lungs. "Is… Eve… alright?"

"Yeah, Tony, she's okay, she got shot, but she's still with us."

Tony felt his eyelids close and Gibbs grabbed his hand and squeezed hard, getting his attention. "Stay with me, Tony. Don't let go, I can't lose you. Hold on…"

"I…love…you…too…Boss…" Tony's green eyes lost their battle and finally closed. The last thing he heard was Gibbs ordering him to stay awake, but darkness overwhelmed him and took over.


	12. Finding Balance

One more time, I don't own NCIS or any characters on the program. If I did then Tony would get better story lines. I can't believe that we've made it to what feels like the end of the story. This has been a labor of love for me. Thank you for embracing Eve Dupree into the NCIS fandom. I hope that I was able to stay as true to the characters as possible, and I thank each and every one of you who read, reviewed, and put this story on alert. It really meant a lot to me to see the response from all of you out there. God, it's hard to actually write this, but here it is the final chapter in our journey…

* * *

Finding Balance

For Tony the next weeks were a confused blur of pain relieved by mind numbing morphine. He marked each day he spent in the hospital by who was sitting at his bedside. His Gibbs days were spent with the faint smell of sawdust and coffee, and, when he was awake, an occasional discussion of current cases. His Ducky days were marked by the soothing accented voice of the ME as he discussed his current case load or past adventures. His Abby days were filled with excited chatter, many hugs, the occasional kiss, and the weirdly soothing sound of Bert the hippo farting each time Abby squeezed him.

Though as much as he enjoyed those visits, Tony found that he most looked forward to the nights the hospital staff would bring Eve into his room, first in a wheelchair as she recovered from her own surgery, and let her sit with him. At first he didn't understand why the staff let her stay in the room with him every night when they had run off whatever team member had kept him company during the pain filled days. It was only when a nurse updated him on his "wife's" condition that he realized what was going on. The staff had assumed that he and Eve were actually married, and apparently none of the players involved had bothered to set the record straight. Since the misconception allowed him to spend each night with her fingers intertwined with his and the soothing scent of jasmine filling the room he wasn't inclined to tell the truth either. After everything they had been through together, he really didn't see the point.

It hadn't been a picnic, those first few days. He had almost bled to death on the helicopter ride to Bethesda. The only things keeping him from following Kate into the light had been Gibbs' plea to stay and Eve's tears as she lay next to him on the deck of the yacht waiting for rescue to come.

When he awoke to tubes inserted into any opening the doctors could find and crushing pain he almost wished he had taken the easy road to whatever came next, but when his hazy vision cleared and he had managed to meet the relieved crystal blue eyes of his surrogate father he found that he was indeed happy to be alive.

The doctors were optimistic that he would make a full recovery. He was thankful for small favors, but knew that if given the choice again, even knowing the possible outcomes, he wouldn't change anything he had done during this entire operation.

The day after he got out of the ICU Tony awoke to a visitor he didn't recognize. He stood by the window, a tall, lean man in full military uniform decorated with more medals than even Gibbs possessed. His silver hair was a short buzz cut and his bearing was almost regal. It was when that marine sat down in the chair next to his bed that Tony realized something. His eyes were a familiar shade of emerald green. Finally after a few moments the stranger spoke.

"Good mornin', Agent DiNozzo. I'm Hamilton Dupree." The faint Southern accent still showed shades of his birthplace in South Carolina's low country. "I wanted to come by and say thank you."

"For what?" Tony felt disoriented by the drugs and wasn't sure exactly what was going on.

"Son, you saved my daughter's life. She told me how you shielded her from a bullet that would have killed her for certain. I can never repay you for that."

Tony was surprised, but responded, "She's my partner. It's my job to protect her as much as it's hers to protect me, so no thanks are necessary. I'd do it again if the situation called."

"You're a brave man, son. There aren't many who would. Someone taught you well."

Tony grinned, thinking about the man who had taught him all he knew about duty and honor. "Yes sir, someone did. He was a marine, too."

Hamilton smiled and said, "I won't keep you any longer, you need your rest if you're going to recover properly. I just want you to know that if there's ever anything, anything at all, I can do for you; please don't hesitate to let me know."

"Thank you. I appreciate the sentiments."

The General nodded his head and walked from the room as silently as he had come. Tony leaned back on the pillows, deep in thought. He needed to give Director Maxwell an answer to his job offer, so with that thought in mind he reached for the phone next to his bed and dialed.

* * *

Gibbs was heading down the hospital corridor on his way to Tony's room. He still hadn't gotten over the shock of almost losing his senior agent to death. Tony, who never handled pain medication well, had talked wildly in his sleep about following Kate to the light. Those statements had been nearly enough to give Gibbs a heart-attack. Once he had regained full consciousness the wild ramblings had stopped, and it looked like they were in the clear now. Tony's collapsed lung had responded well to the treatment once it had been re-inflated and the bullet had caused no permanent muscle damage in his chest. Once the doctors released him Gibbs intended on taking him his house, just to make sure that Tony was taken care of.

Just as Gibbs arrived at the door to Tony's room he saw the Director of the CIA standing by Tony's bed in deep conversation. He stepped back from the doorway, content to listen.

"Anthony, are you sure that there's nothing I can say to change your mind?"

"No sir, I'm certain. I realized something about myself during this operation. As much as I enjoy the adrenaline rush of working with your agency, I'm a cop. I always will be a cop; it's what I love and I think that my talents are best used by staying exactly where I am. I appreciate your offer, more than you'll ever know.

"I respect that. I'm sorry you won't be coming to work with us, but if you ever change your mind there's an open spot with your name on it. You just have to say the word."

"Thank you, Director, for everything."

Maxwell reached out his hand and he and Tony shared a warm handshake before the director turned to leave the hospital room. Once in the hallway he saw Gibbs standing there and stopped in front of the Senior Agent.

"You're a lucky man, Agent Gibbs. You have a fine agent in there. I hope that you appreciate him."

Gibbs gave a sardonic smile before saying, "I know." Two words that said both nothing and everything to the former spy.

Maxwell headed down the corridor while Gibbs opened the door to Tony's room and entered. He found his Senior Field Agent leaning back against the pillows, his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

"Hey, Boss."

"How're you feeling?"

"Hell, I don't know. I think better, but I don't think I'll really know until they take this chest tube out." Pain had begun to creep back up, so Tony paused for a minute to hit the button on his PCA unit. He waited until the morphine began to work on his pain before continuing. "I turned down the job. I'm a cop not a spy. Although, I admit to enjoying the action involved in the profession." He gave a crooked smile that made Gibbs wonder what he was remembering then continued, "So unless you want me to transfer to another team I'm all yours."

Gibbs sat down in the chair by the bed and took a sip of his coffee as he formulated his response. "Tony, I want you right where you've always been, watching my six. I need you there. I know that we've got some things to figure out, and that's just as much my fault as it is yours, but we'll work through them, together."

Tony turned hopeful eyes to Gibbs and repeated, "Together?"

"Yeah, Son, together."

* * *

Eve crept into Tony's hospital room as quietly as she was able. The sight of him lying in the hospital bed was still more devastating than a physical blow as she took in his condition. His chest was bandaged heavily hiding the gunshot wound he had suffered while trying to protect her. He was sleeping, the even rise and fall of his chest giving proof to the fact that he was completely relaxed. Sleep was the only time that Tony had ever looked relaxed to her, and she had spent many of the nights they were together just watching him as he slept.

She sighed loudly and Gibbs, who was sleeping in the chair beside Tony's bed, stirred. He opened his eyes and turned his trademark stare to the woman standing in the doorway. She looked a little worse for wear, the shadows under her eyes proof of many sleepless nights and her side still heavily bandaged.

"The hospital release you, Agent Dupree?"

"Yes. Trent got me released. I'm heading back to Langley as soon as the paperwork is completed. I just wanted to see Tony before I go."

Gibbs gave a grunt and stood. "When DiNozzo wakes up tell him I went for coffee." He strode from the room. He still wasn't sure how he felt about her, but he wanted Tony back on the job and not distracted by any personal issues, so he figured that he needed to give them a chance to say their good-byes.

She sat on the edge of his bed; her hand reached out of its own volition and gently stroked his cheek. Tony awoke to the familiar scent of jasmine and a feather light touch on his face. He lay there for a minute enjoying the caress before he finally opened his eyes and scanned her face; his green eyes probing hers to see what secrets she hid.

His voice was raspy from sleep and slightly slurred from the pain medication, but he managed a smile when he spoke, "Hey, Evie." He kept his gaze locked with hers, understanding the truths she revealed to him without words and asked in a weary voice, "What happened?"

Eve dropped her gaze, unsure of how much to reveal. "I'm heading back south next week. Another assignment has come up and they need me."

"Where are you going, or can you tell me?"

"I'll tell you, because I _know_ I can trust you. I'm heading to Ciudad Del Este to track terrorists trading guns on the open market."

"Who's watching your back once you get there?"

"Mossad has an operative in the area. I'll be working with them on this."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer and reached out to lace his fingers with hers. "I'll miss you."

She turned even more serious as she studied their entwined fingers. "I owe you my life, and I'll never forget what you did for me. I finished what I started, and now maybe I can do this for the right reasons." She paused to take a breath then said, "The whole cartel operation is all tied off. I spoke to Trent a few minutes ago, and he told me that nothing will blow back on us. We're both in the clear."

Tony felt a wave of relief at her announcement. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, pulling her close with his good arm.

She rested her head against his chest for a moment, tears flooding her eyes as she thought about what could have been if she had not been what she was. Tony was right to stay at NCIS, it was his home and his team was his family, and that was something she could never be. She finally tilted her head up and kissed him passionately, which caused his monitors to speed up when he responded. She slipped a card in his hand and replied, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna be just fine. Aren't I always?" She stood and after adjusting his pillows turned to leave the room as silently as she had entered when she heard him murmur, "Yeah, yeah you are."

Tony leaned back into his newly fluffed pillows and watched her walk out the door; only then did he turn his gaze to the small card in his hand. A cell phone number was scribbled on it. He tucked the card away, along with his memories, to analyze later, when he felt a bit more like himself.

* * *

Tony straggled into the bullpen. He had barely made it into the office on time. Although in the scheme of things, being on time to work wasn't very high on his list of priorities. He had just spent the last two months in hell trying to put his life back together. Eve hadn't exaggerated when she had told him the whole thing had been finished. The guilty parties had been punished one way or another and the quiet surrounding the entire screwed up operation was almost deafening. For his part in the aftermath, Tony had spent three weeks in the hospital and another five in physical therapy to regain his clearance for field work. It had not been a picnic.

The constant visits from everyone at the office, and the careful bullying from Gibbs had not done much to battle the depression he had felt at how quickly Eve had disappeared back into the black hole known as the CIA. When he had finally gotten home to his apartment he had hoped that there would be some sign of her presence somewhere in the 1,500 square feet he called home, but all that he had found was a jasmine plant in a pot sitting in the kitchen with one of her knives buried in the dirt up to its hilt. There had been no note, but one whiff of the fragrant flowers and the sight of the steel had caused memories to flood his senses. Even though there was no card he knew she had left them there for him; it was just her way of letting him know she was still around, somewhere.

Coming back to work at NCIS had been awkward for the first few days. Tony had endured the questions that inevitably came his way. He had simply worked at getting from one case to the next until the routine had taken him over. It was easier that way, no real need to think about how much everything, hell how much he, had changed.

* * *

Spring had just begun to peak out from behind winter's apron when Gibbs noticed that Tony still had not completely snapped back from his ordeal with the cartel. His investigative work was flawless; his instincts had done nothing but improve, but the changes in his personality were marked. He was quieter now, more thoughtful, and always cautious. In fact Gibbs couldn't remember the last time DiNozzo had used any movie references or played any practical jokes on his co-workers. Yes, he had changed, but Gibbs was still hopeful that he would snap back and resume being the Tony everyone knew and really missed.

Ziva observed her partner. She had wondered, on and off, where Eve Dupree had disappeared to. She was obviously on assignment, but no one would give any information on the operation. Tony knew; Ziva was certain that he had at least had an idea of where she had disappeared to, but he wouldn't say. He would talk about a lot of things, but the one thing he refused point blank to talk about was _her._ Whatever had happened between Tony and Eve was his secret.

He was finally back at work, and at times he seemed almost like himself again. There were subtle changes, like the small tiger head tattoo he'd suddenly sported on his chest that covered the scar left from the bullet wound. Abby had been ecstatic about that change, but there were others as well, including the knife that he now wore constantly. If Ziva had tried to guess she would have said that these were his coping mechanisms, but, then again, she was no psychologist. If Gibbs was worried he had given no sign. He had only said for them to give DiNozzo his space and let him heal in his own good time. Ziva just hoped that Gibbs was right, but privately she was worried for her partner.

* * *

Tony sat in the small bar, a drink in front of him, listening to the music that played softly in the background. He hadn't heard from Eve in months. He had decided to take his weekend off and take a trip to Miami. It was the first time he had been back since he had visited the city with her. He had found a key to her apartment on Calle Ocho in his bag, and had come in the hopes of seeing her. He had been disappointed; the apartment was empty and cold. He was returning to DC on the red-eye.

Hours later he made his way into his apartment. Exhausted from his whirlwind trip, he dropped his bags in the hallway and made his way directly to the bedroom intending to sleep until he had to go to work the next morning. Sleep eluded him, and he tossed and turned for hours more before he finally drifted off.

When he finally awoke he felt something was wrong. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he wasn't alone in the apartment. He grabbed his Sig from the bedside table and crept out. He made it as far as the living room before he stopped, shocked at who his visitor was.

Eve was sitting on the couch as if she'd never left at all. She looked up when he approached, and smiled when she saw him there. They locked gazes for several minutes, her emerald eyes full of emotion she didn't want to express and his jade green ones full shadows. Finally, he held out his arms to her so she raced across the room into his embrace. He put his hand under her chin to tilt her head up and said the only thing that came to mind.

"Hi."

_fin_


End file.
